Life As We Know It
by charmony
Summary: The FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit has disappeared. But there are men who won't be content until they are all dead and their devastating secrets are safe for all time. Will our favourite crime fighters survive the coming hunt intact to bring them down?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I have been tossing up for a while whether I really wanted to write a Criminal Minds fanfic (in other words did I really want to risk mangling something that is already great) and after spending the last few weeks exclusively reading fics others have written and watching anew all the episodes of the first 5 seasons, I decided I was going to do it.**

**I had a clear idea in mind for what my story line would look like but I didn't even get to start writing it before the regulars decided they wanted to do something else, so here follows what they want. I have nothing to do with it so if you think it's terrible blame them, not me.**

**If things don't make a lot of sense at first, just stick with it because by the end of this first chapter, the regulars will be making their debuts and you'll be like 'Ah, so that's what's happening here'. It'll be worth your while to keep reading, I promise. However, if you figure it out before the end of the chapter, brownie points and snaps for you.**

**I do so LOVE reviews, so please let me know what you think, even if you think it's truly terrible.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing relating to Criminal Minds.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 1

Rachel Geneva turned up the walk to her house in suburban Milton, nestled in the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and sighed quietly, half in contentment and half in resignation. The day had been perfect and the street party that evening full of fun and laughter. They'd all eaten too much and had been up far longer than bedtimes dictated but that was alright once in a while. Her discontentment came from the discussion she knew she was about to get into with the man walking her home as she stepped up onto her front porch and gently shifted her 1 year old daughter Tammy from one arm to the other in order to reach her house keys.

After unlocking the front door and disarming the alarm system, she turned and gestured Doug into the house. He moved past her and headed immediately for the stairs with her 4 and a half year old daughter Katie. She closed the front door and followed him up the stairs, turning right and then into the nursery. 2 minutes later she had Tammy changed and settled in for the night and had moved into Katie's room. Changing a four year old who was asleep was a little more challenging but five minutes later she was turning off the lamp and walking wearily down the stairs.

She found Doug near her front door which was a great relief. She loved the man dearly as a friend but just at that moment all she wanted was her bed and it was a rare occasion where Doug wouldn't take the time to attempt to seduce her despite knowing she was still in love with Katie's father. An eternal optimist, he fully believed that one day she would simply give up on a reunion with the man she never really spoke about and fall into his arms. She knew it would never happen because there were things about her life she hadn't even hinted at to him despite her absolute trust in him but he didn't know that and the less he knew, the better for her own peace of mind and his safety.

She smiled up at him as she leaned back against the wall near the door. "Thanks ever so much for helping me get the girls home. I never know what I would do without you."

He grinned, his blue eyes lighting up with mischief as he teased yet again, "Well you know you could just marry me and then you would always have me around to help."

Tsking softly she replied, "And you know full well that I would never love you like that and one day we would both wake up miserable. Far better that we remain the best of friends forever than that I cause you even a moment's disappointment."

He sighed theatrically and gripped his chest. "Wounded, yet again. But fear not beautiful one, for I have yet to lose all hope of a happily ever after."

She laughed softly, stepped in closer to him and kissed his cheek. "You are definitely full of it. Say goodnight Doug."

He dutifully said goodnight and walked out the door. She watched him leave til he was out of view and with a relieved sigh, closed and locked the door and reset the alarm for the night. She retreated to the sanctuary of her bedroom and went straight to the ensuite where she went through her normal nightly ritual. The only difference that night was that she was forced to blow dry her waist length black hair instead of being able to let it dry naturally as she preferred. She didn't want to wait for it to dry though as she wanted sleep more than anything else at that moment and going to bed with wet hair was not conducive to having a good night's rest or to her health.

She curled up in bed and looked at the two framed photos she always kept on her bedside table. The first held the most recent image of her two adorable daughters, taken the weekend before at the park. The second she looked at the longest and was the only photo she had of the man who had given life to Katie. They had been out walking along the beach one afternoon when he'd whipped out a camera and started taking photos of her. For the next 15 minutes they'd laughed as they'd traded the camera back and forth for silly posed individual shots before she'd suggested they get one of the two of them together with the setting sun as their backdrop. He'd agreed and pulling her back against him he'd held the camera at arm's length and taken the shot right before he'd turned her and kissed her senseless. She knew Katie had been conceived that night and then 6 weeks later her life was in tatters and everything she knew and was familiar with was far away and lost to her, perhaps forever.

Noting where her thoughts were leading her, she said her prayers for the night for the three people she loved more than any other in the world and turned out the lamp.

New Section-

Caitlyn Hunter looked up as her husband's voice came from the tv. Grabbing the remote she turned up the volume and went back to folding laundry. James looked up from the table where he was doing his homework and said anxiously, "That's daddy on tv. Which channel is it?"

Caitlyn checked the logo. "Looks like he's on CBS baby. His case must have been bigger than he thought because that's the national news."

James watched the tv with a mixture of pride and fear. Caitlyn was a great stepmother and calling her mum had happened easily over time but there were things she didn't know about him and daddy and if she did know she might leave them like his first mum had. And that was the last thing he wanted.

When the piece was over he looked at Caitlyn and found she was looking at him with concern. He picked up his pencil and ducked his head back to his homework, hoping she wouldn't ask him why he was so anxious all of a sudden.

Caitlyn watched as James went back to his homework, his little shoulders scrunched up as if he was waiting for a blow. Frowning, she made a mental note to talk to Michael when he arrived home from work. The frown dissolved in a smile as she remembered that the best way for her to remember was to write it down. She touched her stomach lightly as she walked into the kitchen. She loved being pregnant and took delight in the loving attention she was getting from Michael and the excitement that James felt about having a new baby brother or sister. What she didn't like was the nausea, vomiting, food cravings, hormones and memory loss that were also part and parcel of the joyous changes happening in her body.

Hearing the front door, she bounced happily out of the kitchen and down the hall. Michael smiled at her when he saw her approaching and readily caught her when she jumped to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. They kissed until James made gagging noises then Michael let her down and turned to embrace his son, tickling him til he screamed for mercy between bouts of hysterical laughter.

"You're home early. I haven't even had a chance to think about dinner yet."

"Excellent; after a _very_ successful day, I thought I might take my two favourite people in the entire world out for dinner at wherever we vote to go."

Caitlyn and James exchanged high-fives at this and started debating on where they wanted to go. Michael grinned as he watched his wife of two years losing a debate to a 9 year old who wanted to eat at the local pizzeria when all she wanted was chinese. There was just something so easy and fresh about Caitlyn that always made him fall in love with her over again at the oddest times and in all different circumstances and this now was one of them as he watched her challenge James to a game of Rock, Scissors, Paper.

He stepped around them and into the living room to catch the last few minutes of the news. He watched the weather for the weekend and made a note to approach the idea of an outing to the beach if the weather stayed fine. Then the recaps came on and he felt his blood turn cold as his face appeared on the tv screen for all to see. The caption clearly stated his name and the reporter clearly stated where he was reporting from. He groaned softly. He'd had a bad feeling about the case from the first day it landed on his desk and though the outcome had been all he'd hoped it would be, he knew that this here was where that feeling had come from. Worse still was the knowledge that this was the national news he was watching.

He turned at a soft noise of distress to see James looking at him worriedly and Caitlyn looking sheepish. He tugged James into his arms for a comforting hug as he raised an eyebrow at his wife and forced down his worry. "Who won?"

"Who do you think? I swear this son of ours is going to follow in his daddy's footsteps. He drives an incredibly hard bargain."

Michael chuckled. "Pizza it is then kiddo. It's still early and I'm sure you still have homework to do. I'll go get changed then I'll come down and help with any chores you might still need to finish."

Caitlyn smiled at him in a way that had his blood immediately begin to heat and his brain take a rapid dive south. "Actually, I'm just about done with the laundry and then I'm totally done with the day's chores. Perhaps I could come up with you while you change?"

Michael looked across at James as he settled back at the table and rolling his eyes, turned back to his homework with a muttered, "I know what that's code for and all I can say is gross."

Michael gestured Caitlyn to precede him out the door and for the moment put the news footage to the back of his mind as he watched her ascend the stairs. He'd deal with it when they returned from dinner. He felt his body stirring at the sight of her hips swaying ahead of him and decided they definitely needed some quality time together.

She entered the bedroom and waited til he'd passed her before she pushed the door closed. Her eyes looked him over from top to bottom and she smiled seductively as she walked towards him. "Do I need to ask if we're on the same page here?"

"Oh no; I know _exactly_ what _I'm_ doing here. Do _you_?"

Her only answer was a husky growl as she shoved him back on the bed and pulled off the sundress she was wearing before climbing up to straddle him, sending all thoughts of even his name flying out the window as he realised that all that stood between him and paradise were a few so tiny wisps of lace. She lifted a hand to the tie holding back her long blond hair and shook it out around her as he lifted his hands to cup her luscious looking breasts. She hissed in air and leaned forward with a wriggle of her hips to capture his mouth and the race to dominate was on as the world around them faded away.

New Section-

Patrick Monahan stood in the doorway to his almost-in-laws living room and groaned. The room had been on loan to him for his bachelor party with strict instructions on what was and was not allowed and looking about, he was absolutely certain that every single one of those instructions had been broken beyond belief. There was food and drink spilled everywhere, trash littered the floor, furniture had been shifted about and if he wasn't mistaken, the expensive vase his almost mother-in-law prized had a huge crack in it and that was water leaking slowly out of it.

With a sigh, he stepped across the room and rescued the vase. Maybe his almost wife would know what to do to keep him alive long enough for him to see his honeymoon. Thinking about Carrie made him smile as it always did and lifted his spirits, causing him to whistle happily as he attacked the mess with renewed energy and enthusiasm. He didn't enjoy all the required activities that came with getting married and in particular came with marrying someone with this much wealth and social status but if it netted him Carrie who was to him the single most beautiful woman (both inside and out) in the world then he could deal with everything else. Besides his wedding day was tomorrow so all the annoying little extras were done and dusted and now it was just for them to say 'I do'.

It was almost one in the morning before he had everything tidied to the point where he knew he would be able to sleep without feeling guilty about what he was leaving behind for the cleaner coming in the morning.

"Things get a little out of hand here son?"

He turned and smiled sheepishly as he ran a hand over his head. "Sorry Paul. I did try to keep things tame but someone brought alcohol and the next thing I knew I wasn't in charge anymore. Do you thing Gwen will kill me for not stopping the destruction of her favourite vase?"

Paul winced. "We might have to keep that one from her till after tomorrow. Then you become a son by law and you might stand a better chance of surviving, particularly if you can convince Carrie of your innocence and get her to protect you. I'll tell Gwen once you are on your honeymoon and then she'll have 2 weeks to calm down about it. Don't be surprised if you inherit the bill for the replacement though."

Patrick smiled dryly. "I think paying for the replacement will definitely be a small price to pay if I can survive the rest of the month. Did you just come from Carrie's?" he asked in a hopeful tone of voice.

Paul laughed outright. "The two of you are adorable. I swear Carrie was going to hit me when I said I hadn't seen you at all today. Finding out I was coming here, she insisted I pass on her love and a kiss."

Patrick laughed too and blushed slightly. "Let's just say you did and leave it at that. Is she ready for tomorrow?"

"More than. She tested the theory that putting all the clocks forward in the entire city would make tomorrow come faster. Needless to say, the girls shot her theory down in flames before offering chocolate as a consolation. Let's just say she was only slightly consoled and leave it at that."

Patrick felt pleasure wash through him and only just resisted the urge to pull out his mobile and call his woman. A yawn caught him and he bade Paul goodnight and ascended to the room they'd loaned him for the night. He made use of the bathroom then walked to the dresser where he'd placed the two photos he carried around everywhere with him. Carrie beamed at him from where she'd posed against a tree on a recent camping trip where the woman had more than wowed him; for someone as rich and high class as Carrie, she sure loved getting sweaty and back to nature as frequently as she could. She'd admitted to him as they lay twined together after some of the best sex he'd ever had that she didn't like being rich and that being with him allowed her to be herself in a way no one or thing had ever managed for her. He'd been incredibly humbled by that admission.

He looked at the other photo and smiled. It had been a rare chance for them to get out as a group off the clock. It'd been winter and they'd gone to an outdoor ice skating rink. Some of them had been completely at home on the ice. Other's, like him, had wished to be elsewhere from the start but had stuck with it because the rest were having fun. About midway through the night, a professional photographer had come round and asked if they'd like a photo. So they'd all posed for it and at the last second he'd told a joke that had everyone laughing. The photo was a favourite memory and the only piece he had left of the life he'd known.

He climbed into bed with a smile. Tomorrow was the start of the next, and by far the best, chapter of his life.

He so couldn't wait.

New Section-

The ringing of the school bell called to a close the term and released children to their spring break. Sam Harper took a large step back out of way as the children grabbed their backpacks and associated gear and stampeded out of the room. Despite the rush, he noted at least a dozen wishes extended to him to have a great spring break. Despite studies showing mathematics wasn't a popular subject, his year 10 advanced class truly liked numbers and surprisingly him as a teacher and never hesitated to tell him both.

He took an hour to finish the last-minute required grading and paperwork and then quickly set the room to rights before flicking the lights off. He took a last quick look about and then closed and locked the classroom door. He was now officially on break and he and his small family had grand plans for the next week.

He called to his colleagues as he went, wishing them all a great break. Getting into his ageing car, he pointed it towards the local supermarket. He didn't need to stop off, but he liked to buy his wife gifts and even more he enjoyed the joy on her face when she received them. He also wanted to get something for his 2 month old son. He grinned when he thought about the look on Austin's face when he arrived home with yet another toy for a baby that was still too little to appreciate anything about it. She'd be fondly amused and slightly exasperated and then they'd both coo and fuss over their perfect baby boy.

He rushed through the shopping, picking up a large box of chocolates for Austin and a set of soft numbered blocks for baby Gideon. Traffic was kind to him on the way home and 45 minutes after he'd left the school he pulled into the drive to the small but cosy house they'd lived in for the last 4 years since they'd married. Austin had continued working right up until she'd given birth and now they were discussing the possibility of her becoming a stay-at-home mum because she absolutely thrived in her new role of motherhood. Feeling almost giddy with his delight at seeing his family again, he ran up the drive. At the last moment he noted the quiet of the house and closed the front door quietly before pulling off his bag and jacket and leaving his shoes on the rack.

Padding down the hall he poked his head into the rooms on both sides looking for his family. Reaching the nursery he stopped and smiled, tenderness and love overwhelming him anew as he took in the scene before him. Austin had obviously had a long day; she was sound asleep in the rocking chair, Gideon sound asleep against her shoulder where, despite her state, Austin held him securely. He walked forward and carefully shifted Gideon into his arms. The baby woke with a start and looked up at him and he smiled down at his small son and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Hey baby. Let's let mama sleep a little longer hmm?"

His son just looked up at him with the same fascinated look he always had and made a soft cooing noise. Sam placed a light kiss on his cheek and lightly placed a blanket over Austin's sleeping form. Kissing her forehead just as gently, he eased out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

When they'd first married he hadn't really been able to cook and what he did know was only just enough to keep him alive as a bachelor living on his own. Austin however turned out to be an amazing cook and a better teacher and had insisted on teaching him what she knew whether he wanted to know it or not. Now he could easily whip up a delicious meal in next to no time and often found that he actually enjoyed the very act of it. He now put his extensive skills to work one handed, talking to Gideon as he went, explaining to the baby each of the steps he was taking as he made a salad and started grilling some fish.

"You do realise he's too little to be taking in anything you're saying at this moment?"

He turned with a pleased smile, his heart catching slightly at her sleepy smile and tousled hair. "Doesn't matter. It's more for me than for him anyway."

He lifted his free arm and she slipped under it, snuggling up to his side and tipping her face up for his kiss and for just a moment they were lost in fireworks and wonder. He pulled back enough to lightly kiss her nose before he retrieved his arm and turned the fish.

"Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes if you want to go wash up."

Austin nodded, took Gideon from him and walked out of the room, quietly thanking the baby as she went for letting her sleep. Sam smiled anew and pulled out plates and cutlery, whistling as he set everything out and then served up the food. Austin returned with the baby monitor and they sat down to eat and converse about their days.

She was serving up the apple tea cake she'd made that afternoon when she remembered the phone call she'd taken late that morning.

"Babe, we had an interesting call this morning."

"Interesting good or interesting what-the-hell-is-this-about?"

Frowning she said cautiously, "Try interesting asked-personal-questions-about-my-husband-that-made-me-nervous."

Sam paused with a spoonful of cake an inch from his lips. "What kind of questions?"

Austin licked her lips. "Where you have lived across your lifetime, what kind of education you have, how smart you are, what family you may still have living. Once I got the gist of what they were getting at, I said that the best thing they could do was phone back when you got home. I pretended we'd only been together for a short period of time and I didn't really know all that much about you. They weren't pleased and kept trying to pressure me into answering but I just kept saying I didn't know much beyond the fact that you were like a stallion in bed and that I didn't really much care to know anything else."

Sam smiled reluctantly as his mind raced trying to put everything in perspective. "Just with me for my body huh?"

"Oh totally. Like, I don't care if you are smart; as long as my needs are met."

Their smiles were loving as their hands met over the table. "This is bad, isn't it?"

"Not necessarily. They may just be fishing to see who may fit before they do anything. But to be on the safe side, we should take time to ensure our backup plan is still in place so we can leave in a hurry if necessary. Being away on a planned vacation this week may very well be a godsend."

Austin nodded calmly. "I love you more than anything Sam. Whatever you need from me, even if it means uprooting and becoming someone else, if it means we live to see old age with each other."

With a grin, Sam set his bowl down. "Let's come back on dessert later."

Returning the grin with a saucy smile of her own, Austin got up and sauntered slowly out of the room til Sam threatened to take her up against the wall if she didn't move it. Then she took off running with a laugh, hearing Sam's challenge ringing behind her as she went. She tumbled through the door into the bedroom and felt Sam's arms wrap around her waist, lift her up and toss her at the bed. She let out a soft shriek as she landed and turned as he landed on top of her, letting her mouth fit to his with absolute accuracy as they raced to see who get naked in the shortest possible time. She still hadn't lost her touch and quickly turned to helping Sam with the rest of his clothing before they both exploded in frustration.

Finally falling clear of the last of the clothing, their mouths met anew, hands going crazy and then they were joined again and as suddenly as the frenzy had started, it stopped as their eyes met and their hearts connected and the intimacy of the moment reduced them to tears as they quietly renewed their love for each other and soared over the cliff together.

New Section-

Jack Maio watched the exodus of tourists from his apartment window with a sigh of relief. The tourist season in the popular tourist town of Vail, Colorado was over for another year and the town would again only be populated by the regulars. He wouldn't have to be so worried about being spotted and recognised as he went about his business for the next six months and it would actually be comfortable for him to step outside his front door.

Every year for six months you couldn't even breathe without running into a ski bunny of one type or another. The resort and other holiday accommodations were absolutely packed and business boomed in every way. But for those six months of the year he lived in fear that he wouldn't survive to find the woman he loved more than any other and make her his own. He survived on about four hours of sleep a night and ate little because what he did eat always caused indigestion and heartburn. He now had six months to put back on the 15 or so kilos he'd lost as a result of his fear.

He watched for a little while longer and then turned away. He was meeting with a couple of his friends for a game of pool and dinner out. He sent up a quick prayer that meeting up with them wouldn't see them hooked up with women. Even if it was just a casual hanging out, he always felt more than a little disloyal to the woman who'd stolen his heart. He walked over to where he kept her photo and smiled as he took in her perfect features. A simple walk on the beach had ended in a mock photo shoot and somehow he'd managed to get a shot of her as her head had whipped around to look at him. There was something so mysterious about the shot with her half smile, eyes laughing and a tumble of curls shot through with the light from the dying sun that were flying around her head.

He collected his jacket, wallet and keys and headed for the door, stopping off at the photo again to trace her smile and sigh her name with longing.

Several hours later the night had passed just as he'd thought it would. They'd arrived at the pub early enough to secure a dinner table and a pool table before the rush of the dinner crowd arrived. He'd lost the game, but since he only ever won one out of about twenty games he hadn't really expected to win. Dinner had been a pleasure to eat as always and the company of the men around him had gone a long way to easing the tight knots he'd been tied in for the last few months. But then the women had come over to crash their party. A couple of them were regulars and greeted him warmly without pushing for anything they knew he wouldn't give but the other three had draped themselves all over him despite his blatant discouragement. His friends had simply been amused and unhelpful in their jealousy but Cindi and Annie had done their level best to run interference without too much success.

Now he was leaving and the three whose names he'd decided he didn't really want to know were trying to wheedle an invitation to come home with him. A tray of glasses shattered as it hit the floor and while everyone was distracted he slipped out of the booth and out of the pub. He'd gotten only about half a block before an arm linked with his and he stumbled to a halt. The pushiest of the three women, a redhead, beamed up at him.

He sighed and extricated his arm from hers. "Listen, I'm sure you are really nice and all, but my heart isn't mine to give and I won't betray her with anyone for any reason. I'm sorry, but it just isn't going to happen."

She pouted. "Who says your woman ever needs to find out. You could come to my room and she'll never need to know you had more than a boys night out."

He backed up a step and said firmly, "No; I won't have anything to do with you. Go back inside and grab any of the other guys. They're always up for anything."

"But I want to get with you."

Jack entertained the very brief thought of knocking this woman out just so he could get away but he reigned it in quickly and shook his head. "For the last time, I'm not available; not for you, not for anyone. Go back to the pub because I'm not taking you home with me and I'm not going home with you."

He watched her with a face totally devoid of emotion til she huffed and turned back the way she'd come. He started walking backwards as he watched her go and then as soon as she was out of sight, he ducked down an alley and around into a shadowed doorway. Then he waited.

He didn't have to wait long before he saw her walk past stealthily, obviously looking for him at the same time she tried to hide her presence. She bypassed the alley like he knew she would because the smell was horrific and walked out of sight. Because he had time and patience on his side, he waited an hour before slipping out of the alley and taking the long route home. He stayed vigilant, but he didn't see her again and he sent up a quick prayer that she was leaving sometime in the next day or so.

Arriving home was a blessing and he quickly went through his nightly routine before falling into bed, her photo held close as his eyes drifted shut and he slipped into a sleep filled with his memories of her naked under him and surrounding him and altogether driving him crazy.

New Section-

Emma Rhodding stood in the middle of the living room with a blindfold over her eyes and listened to a soft masculine voice and childish giggles as her family finished setting up the surprise she'd almost spoiled by arriving home early after nearly fainting at work. She'd taken one step in the front door and then her three year old daughter Lucy was standing in front of her and very seriously telling her not to move from the spot til daddy got there. She'd watched in amusement as Lucy had bustled back into the kitchen and a minute later Luke appeared. He'd asked her if she was well, listened as she'd explained that she was just tired and feeling a little faint but that she would be alright after a lie-down. He'd hugged her gently, kissed her tenderly, asked if she was up to standing blindfolded in the living room for a few minutes and left her standing where she was now.

Her heart warmed and she grinned as she tried to figure out what would bring about such planning and require so much secrecy. It wasn't her birthday, or in fact anyone's birthdays. Her wedding anniversary wasn't for another three months. Only Luke knew she was pregnant again and they'd both decided to keep it quiet for another month before telling their children. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what the occasion was.

A crash in the kitchen had her maternal instincts screaming but her voice reflected only teasing in the silence that followed as she asked, "Is everything alright out there?"

A chorus of "Yes mummy" was followed by a calming, "Yes sweetheart, it's all fine."

She smiled in amusement as the whispers and giggles got closer and then Luke's voice said softly, "Right, just stand still here and I'll bring mummy to you."

She felt Luke's hands wrap around hers' and slowly lead her forward. "It's alright, I promise there isn't anything you could trip over here. Just another minute and you can sit down and rest."

He brought her to a gentle halt, took a moment to assure himself that she was solidly upright and then looking at the kids and getting a nod of readiness, he eased off her blindfold and stepped back out of the way.

"Surprise!"

She smiled as her heart melted at the sight before her. The cake was anything but symmetrical and the icing was lumpy and lopsided. There were no candles on the cake but the lettering clearly stated 'Just Because You're Special'.

She went to her knees in front of three year old Lucy and six year old Henry and wiped away a couple of tears as they fell. "Did you guys do this all by yourself?"

They nodded proudly and Luke replied, "Lucy came home from day care yesterday and said they were talking about making sure you tell the people you think are special that they are. She said that you could just say it or you could do something nice and Henry suggested making a cake. So they hugged me and told me I was special and then this morning they dragged me to the supermarket for the fixings for this here specialty just for you."

Emma took the cake and made admiring remarks about it before handing it to Luke and embracing her children tight. She took the time to tell them both how special they were to her and that she couldn't wait to try the cake. Luke, bless him, suggested saving it for dessert and Henry and Lucy were quick to jump on board with the idea.

While Luke supervised the return of the cake to the kitchen she walked into the bedroom and fell onto the bed with a sigh of relief. By the time Luke walked into the room to check on her, she was out like a light and snoring softly as she only did while pregnant. Smiling softly, he rolled her over on her back, divested her of her shoes and then tucked her in, brushing a hand through her soft blond hair before pulling the door closed on the room and retreating to the kitchen to supervise cleanup and dinner preparations.

New Section-

In a room that never saw visitors from outside of the household, heavily pregnant Keira Sutherland-Phillips typed rapidly on the keyboard in front of her. Three screens lined in a row supplied her with all kinds of useful information but none of the kind she urgently need.

She checked the clock again and grimaced slightly. Sean was still several hours away from arriving home and until he did return she couldn't follow up on what she'd found earlier in the day. She'd promised she wouldn't go searching through the system for the information she wasn't meant to have, but after nearly five years of being good she'd been ready to burst. Then the phone had rung this morning and when she'd answered, she'd been bombarded with questions about her past that had made her cover her nine-month girth protectively. She'd phoned Sean as soon as she'd gotten off the phone and he'd not belittled her fears. He'd finish work that day and they'd leave that night, with the weekend to give them the time they'd need to get fully into hiding.

She'd spent the rest of the day in this room, stopping only for frequent trips to the bathroom and to get food at lunch time. Her eyes were sore from squinting at the screens all day, but she was finally beginning to make headway.

When they'd first come to live in Redmond, Washington they'd found jobs with Microsoft and purchased the house they now lived in. The second thing they'd done was arrange several backup identities in case they were found and had to flee in a hurry. She'd been deliberately vague on the phone, pretending to be as dumb as everyone always assumed she was when they saw her wealth of blond curls, but that was no guarantee against an unwanted visitor turning up sometime in the near future so they would act first in order to survive.

Once she'd assured herself that those identities were still secure, she turned her attention to finding the others, knowing that if someone was close enough to be calling her after all this time, they would no doubt be on the trail of the others. She at least could hide her tracks and disappear without an issue; they would leave a record or paper trail of some kind that would eventually lead right to them.

She'd only been partway successful. Of the six of them, she'd only found three and then only because they were newsworthy. One was getting married to a filthy rich woman who's family had proudly taken out an announcement in the local paper regarding the upcoming nuptials, one was a lawyer who'd been on the national news after a successful case garnered national attention and the third was listed as the PR person working behind the scenes of an international firm to make their recent IRS shakedown look less major than it actually was. She'd found contact information for them but had been unable to get a hold of any of them and though this worried her, she refused to get worked up about it after being told in no uncertain terms that _any_ stress could potentially harm her baby.

She took a moment to gently stroke her belly where her unborn child kicked like crazy. Sean had said he wanted to be surprised when the baby was born as to what it was and she'd readily agreed that the suspense would be worth it. Now she was just a week away from giving birth and she couldn't wait to meet the little munchkin.

She dragged her mind back to the task at hand and lost herself anew in her work as another idea took flight in her active mind. What seemed like only minutes later but as she checked the time was actually hours later, the front door slammed and Sean called out to her. She replied to his call and checked her right hand screen as it started beeping at her.

"Hey baby."

She lifted a hand to stop his kiss and pointed at the screen. "I hacked into the US Marshal's system."

Sean pulled up a chair beside her as he adjusted his glasses. "Why did you do that love?"

"I found three of them today and in my searching for exactly where to find them I realised that several others are searching for them and that one of the searchers is from within a large government organisation. I'd eliminated everyone but the Marshal's service when it suddenly dawned on me that what better way to find us and kill us off before we get to testify than to plant a dirty agent in the vicinity of the witness protection program and get them to do the finding. So I hacked them, and there is a dirty agent. And the dirty agent has just today accessed all our confidential information and has just passed it on to someone else. I'm currently trying to track where the information is going but whoever is on the other end is already on to me which means we could be in trouble."

"Do you have the information on the whereabouts of the others recorded for our use?"

"Not yet; whoever received the information from the dirty agent is very good and they keep trying to stonewall me and access our systems. It's all I can do to keep them away from our drives and out of our information."

"Stay on that then. I'll get this info down and then you can destroy our system. We can then grab our gear and leave. I don't suppose you took time to pack anything after the call this morning?"

"I did actually, but you might want to check your bag and make sure I didn't forget anything truly important. I also couldn't access your locked draw so you'll need to collect whatever is in there yourself."

He murmured assent and they lapsed into silence as they worked. Several minutes later, Sean said quietly, "I have this all down. I'll go check my gear while you destroy the system."

She nodded absently as she pretended to slip up. She'd let them in and then wipe the system which would allow her virus to track down the lines to where they were when they attempted to retreat and keep them nice and busy. Sure enough, there they were prying into the façade she'd set up just for this very scenario and let them into it. She shut the door behind them and keyed the virus. She watched in satisfaction as they tried to retreat, were finally successful, and left trailing the virus for all to see.

"Try getting out of that one creepy dude."

Absolutely certain about the success of the virus she'd set in motion, she activated the program she'd written to completely wipe the system clean and headed up the hall to where Sean was waiting for her with their bags. After loading the car, she checked the study one last time and found all three computers were dead in the water. Smiling with pleasure at her smarts, she returned to the car and climbed in to the passenger seat.

"Where to first babe?"

Keira, formerly known as Penelope Garcia, now Penelope Lynch looked at the piece of paper he handed her and opening up her laptop, pulled up a map of the US. "Derek Morgan would be closest to us and I know he's getting married tomorrow, so we should try to get there before he leaves for his honeymoon. The bad guys would just chase him out of the country or perhaps even lie in wait for when he returns and get to him while his guard is down. We should warn him and then let him decide what he wants to do."

"Wasn't he in Utah?" Kevin asked as he set the car in motion and turned toward the expressway out of the city.

"Yes, he is. So we can drive for about thirteen hours or we can catch a plane."

"We don't really want to be without the car, at least not for now. Sleep now and I'll drive til I can't keep my eyes open. Then I'll wake you and we can continue on til you need to rest before we stop for the night and a few hours of sleep in a bed. What time was he getting married?"

"2pm, with the reception happening at 6pm. We should aim to get there in time for the wedding which is partially open to the public, but as long as we are there for the reception we should be fine to catch him."

"Right then. So what is my best route?"

She checked the best way and after being sure that he knew where he was going, she packed away the laptop, reclined her chair and settled in for a much needed nap.

New Section-

"Damnit all to hell!"

"What's wrong?"

"The information we received from Baby Blue? I just lost most of it. Looks like one of the techs was chasing a lead, met the virus and brought it back to us. I've stopped it from totally wiping our drives, but a lot of what we have left is now sporadic and incomplete and the little that is untouched makes little sense at all."

"Find the tech and get rid of them. Do we have anything left at all on the FBI team we're tracking?"

"I have three of them. One with an address, one just with the alias and town she lives in and one I have the name and state but nothing else. Give me a minute to see if I can flesh this out a bit."

He waited impatiently as his right hand man typed away frantically before crowing in triumph. "Okay, here we go. I can give you Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan and Emily Prentiss."

Triumph arched through him. "You are a great man to have around. Right; I want three teams. I'll head up the team going after Emily because the two of us have some unfinished business we need to deal with. I want you in charge of collecting Aaron Hotchner and getting him to my location and put Splotches in charge of Derek Morgan. Tell him he can do what he likes there. I don't particularly care either way."

He watched his best friend head off to carry out his orders without hesitation and pulled out the photo he had of his lady love. "Soon we'll be together again love, and nothing will ever come close to harming you again."

End-

**Done and dusted! Did you figure out what was going on before you reached the end of the chapter?**

**Please remember that I love to read reviews and while you are enjoying this chapter, I shall go work on the next one and perhaps even spend a little time injecting explanations of what brought a successful FBI BAU team to the dangerous situations they are currently in.**

**See you next time! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: If you are still with me, YAY! and welcome back. I hope you weren't disappointed and are looking forward to this next step in my newly written adventure.**

**To : Thank you for reviewing and YES! You got it all right, Congratulations! Rossi is the one in Colorado; the ski bunny just happened to have a thing for grizzled, older men. As to Tammy's daddy, that will be revealed in this chapter as well as how he knows Prentiss. As to the bad element of the story; there is some showing here, but the root of it all is still to come, so stay tuned for more.**

**Again, sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the hell out of it though. **

Life As We Know It – Chapter 2

"Yo, Firstein, I think I may be getting a gold star here!"

Greg Firstein sighed internally as his train of thought was broken but when he turned to the brainy new kid in the office the only emotion visible on his face was patience. "What have you found Toby?"

Toby bounded over with a pile of papers and far too much energy for someone who didn't eat anything with sugar in it and didn't drink anything with caffeine in it and plopped into his spare seat with a grin lighting his boy-band good looks. He even bounced a little in the seat and Greg sighed yet again as he realised that chances were good that he would soon be wiping that smile from his face.

"The case you have involving those FBI agents 5 years ago? I think I found the group you're looking for."

New Section-

Michael checked his stride as Caitlyn faltered to a halt in front of him. He shifted his sleeping son as he attempted to see what was wrong.

"Caitlyn? Is something the matter?"

"Did you leave the front door unlocked when we left?"

He woke James and set his sleepy son on his feet. Caitlyn moved back to prop him up and he eased forward to see that the front door was not only unlocked, but also slightly ajar as well.

"Wait here while I go check it out. If I'm not out in five minutes, takes James, get in the car and drive down to the police station. Do _not_ whatever you do come in or you might be putting your life in danger. Do you understand?"

She looked up at him with eyes huge with fear and nodded. He leaned in to kiss her quickly before he silently eased the door open further and slipped inside. Moving carefully but quickly he bypassed the front sections of the house and entered the study. At the safe he lifted his hand to open it but on hearing a noise behind him he stilled.

"I wouldn't go for the gun in the safe if I were you. Not if you don't want your pretty little wife to take a knife to her gut."

He turned as a light came on. The man who'd spoken held a knife to Caitlyn's stomach and had her arm in a tight hold. Another man stood behind him with a hand of James' mouth. His son stared at him with the faith of the young; he knew daddy would get them out of this. Caitlyn was calm as she gazed at him but her eyes were beginning to glaze just slightly with her fear.

He looked back at the man who appeared to be in charge. He'd recognised the one holding James in a heartbeat but this man was new to him, an unknown quantity and the look in his eyes was deadly cold and rock steady; he would gut Caitlyn if he even so much as thought wrong and leave her to bleed to death in front of them.

Lifting his hands slowly to show they were empty, Michael stepped away from the safe and asked calmly, "What do you want with us?"

"None of your business; you simply come with me quietly and maybe you'll get away with only a few pieces missing."

He started to press for more information when Caitlyn screamed and something heavy and solid slammed into the back of his head. His last image as he fell and his sight went black was of the man backhanding Caitlyn across the side of face and James struggling in the arms of the man who held him.

New Section-

Rachel dropped her daughters off at day care and headed in to work. As a child, some of her fondest memories had been from time spent learning to dance and as an adult she derived a huge amount of pleasure out of teaching other young children how to dance. Working part time at the town's dance school teaching latin dance classes to elementary aged children also allowed her to tailor her time to fit around the busy schedule of being a single mother of two rambunctious young children.

She greeted her favourite class of the day and called them all into position to begin warm-ups. Losing herself in the teaching and the music, she forgot her worries and her past and went to her happy place as she encouraged and corrected the twenty little girls and boys who were her pride and joy.

When that class was over, the next class trooped in and before she knew it, her working day was over. She greeted parents as they collected their kids and spoke briefly with the principle of the school about a couple of children she was concerned about. When her hall was finally back in the same condition she'd found it in that morning, she headed off to complete a couple of errands before she had to collect Katie and Tammy at 6.

She ran into Doug at the bank and greeted him warmly. "How goes it at the zoo?"

Doug laughed and groaned at the same time. A high school science teacher, he absolutely loved what he did for a living but often bemoaned how hard it was to get through to young people who really weren't that interested in the sciences. "The first half of the day was a nightmare. One of the kids deliberately managed to set off the fire alarm, causing a school wide evacuation. We thought it was accidental til I overheard him boasting to one of his friends how easy it had been for him to get out of the rest of the most boring class of the day. Since I took umbrage at the implication that I was boring, I hauled him over to the principle and informed her of what he'd done. Needless to say she was _not_ impressed."

Rachel laughed sympathetically. "Well at least you knew at that point that the day couldn't get any worse."

"That's true, though at the time I wasn't really thinking much of anything beyond the knowledge that this kid was so very bright yet I was going to have to fail him if he continued down this path. As it is, he's been suspended by the school and fined by the fire department for a deliberate act of reckless endangerment."

She winced and asked hesitantly, "Dare I ask how the afternoon went?"

He grinned. "By comparison the afternoon was boring and everyone was almost too well-behaved. At least it's Friday though so I have two whole days to recuperate. How was your day?"

They continued to talk through the rest of their time at the bank and as they walked out close to closing time. Checking her watch, she smiled with genuine delight. "I'm sorry to be leaving in the middle of the lovely conversation we've been having but I need to go collect the girls. Will I see you tomorrow for lunch as always?"

"Absolutely. Oh, by the way, UPS was looking for your address today; said they had a package they needed to deliver. I pointed them in the right direction."

Rachel froze. "What time was this?"

"About 2 hours ago. I was just on my way into town."

She murmured a hurried thank you and goodbye and as she rushed down the street to where she'd left her car, she pulled out her mobile and dialled Diana's Day Care Centre. UPS wouldn't be looking for a person, just an address and if anyone was looking for her, chances were good she was in for some pain.

"Diana's Day Care, this is Lindsay."

"This is Rachel Geneva. Just letting you know I may be a couple of minutes late picking up the girls today."

"Did you forget your brother was picking up the girls today? He had a note with him and everything. Lovely man too, and so good looking. You're very lucky."

Rachel closed her eyes against the tears and fear that threatened to overwhelm her and pulled back the urge to scream. "I hadn't forgotten; I'd simply been under the impression he wasn't arriving until tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me and have a good evening."

Lindsay bade her a cheerful farewell as Rachel hung up the phone and contemplated her next move. Chances were good that there would be more information on who'd found her at home, even if he wasn't holding the girls there so that was where she would head first. As she started her car, her mind raced as she tried to figure out how she would get around yet another nightmare trying to destroy her life. She would need to be quick and she would need to be sharp. There was no telling what she was about to walk into; all she knew was that it was bad. She aimed her car towards home and spent the entire drive praying and plotting by turns.

New Section-

Caitlyn's eyes moved a mile a minute, cataloguing everything she could see. They sat in someone's living room. James had looked around in fear and whimpered until she urged him into her lap; now the whimpering had stopped but he still shook violently in her arms. While they hadn't been tied down, they'd been well and truly threatened and with Michael still unconscious from the heavy blow he'd taken to the back of his head there was really no way she could get them all out alive particularly since their captors were now nowhere to be seen. As a doctor she worried he had more to his injuries than a concussion because he hadn't woken up. As a wife and mother, she wanted him to wake up and make everything better.

She jumped when a door slammed at the front of the house and two of the three men who'd kidnapped them reappeared, each one carrying a child. The littlest one was wriggling about madly and crying hysterically around the hand over her mouth. The oldest one was nearly silent as she cried but the look in her eyes was clear; she desperately wanted to be rescued. Her mother's heart reached out to them and she tightened her hold just slightly on James as he whimpered in renewed fear.

As they moved out of sight, she heard a faint beep from the front of the house. She waited to see if it would happen again but when it didn't, she turned her head to the photos she could see from where she sat. The woman who must have owned the property was simply stunning; with a wealth of thick black curls and chocolate brown eyes alight with fun and laughter. Very few of the photos depicted her on her own and it was clearly obvious that she loved and adored her two daughters and that those emotions were returned tenfold. It was also clearly obvious that while there were friends in the picture, there wasn't a man involved and having just been kidnapped herself, Caitlyn could easily sympathise with how this woman was going to react when she arrived home to find her neat, suburban house invaded by evil.

Hearing Michael groan across the room where he was tied down, her head whipped around to look at him as she urged him softly to wake up. James became still in her arms, his shaking just suddenly stopping and his head turned, allowing his eyes to peek through the blond hair he was hiding behind. With another groan, Michael's head came up slowly and he squinted at her, his eyes barely open and the pain in them making her want to cry with the realisation that she couldn't go to him and comfort him as she eased away his aches.

Taking a slow deep breath to calm her worry, she called to him again. His head came up more and she watched as he forced his eyes open and looked around the room. She noted that his pupils were a fair bit dilated and that his movements were sluggish as he shifted his head; the more he moved, the whiter he became and when he flinched as his gaze landed on the photos covering the wall above the fire place she wondered if there was something she'd missed when she checked his condition in the truck.

His gaze came slowly back to her and he croaked, "Are you both alright? Did they hurt you?"

Caitlyn lifted a hand to briefly touch her cheek. "Apart from being knocked out, we haven't been harmed. When I woke up, we were being moved from a truck into this room. Once you were tied down and we'd been well and truly threatened if we moved, they left us alone. That was several hours ago and they haven't returned. James said once we were both out he was told to cooperate or we would both be killed in front of him so he didn't fight. We were taken to a van and driven to an airfield where we were loaded onto a plane. When we landed it was dawn but we were pretty quickly moved to a truck and then he couldn't see anything anymore. We were in the truck seemingly forever and then we were here and apart from seeing two of the men go past with the two little girls in those photos I haven't seen anyone in hours."

Michael nodded and winced, regretting the motion instantly as his head attempted to explode. The light was too bright and any movement he made more than breathing caused fireworks to go off in his head and behind his eyes. He knew he had a bad concussion because he felt ill and he knew that if he didn't keep it together, his family was dead. He looked again at the photos and wondered anew what the hell was going on. He hadn't seen Emily Prentiss since the team had been split up for their own safety five years ago and yet now it looked like they'd been brought right into the middle of her house. He looked back at Caitlyn and sighed quietly. It wasn't fair to keep her in the dark and she should hear it from him before anyone else had a chance to let the cat out of the bag.

"Ask me who the woman in the photos is."

Caitlyn looked at her husband in surprise and though she was pleased to note that his vision appeared clearer and his pupils were easing back to normal, the request made her wary. A look of pleading crossed his face, a silent request for her to trust him and after another brief hesitation, she asked quietly, "Who is the woman in the photos?"

His relief was obvious. "Her name is Emily Prentiss and she was a member of my team up until five years ago."

Caitlyn watched him as she quietly asked, "What is your real name."

She saw his brief surprise and then suddenly he grinned in such a way that she went weak all over as she always did when he turned on the charm. "I knew I married the smartest woman in the world. My name is Aaron Hotchner and five years ago I was the agent in charge of the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI. James' real name is Jack."

"Do you love me?"

"With everything I am. I would have told you sooner, but the Witness Protection Program has very strict rules about identity secrecy that precluded me telling even you once we were married."

"When we moved suddenly two years ago?"

"I received a call from the marshal looking after us. Secure information had been hacked and one of my colleagues had been attacked. For security reasons they needed to move us pronto. I wasn't about to argue after they said she _might_ recover but there were no guarantees considering the extent of her injuries. The two of you are my world; I would have done anything to ensure your safety."

She nodded slowly. The news the previous afternoon coupled with the worry she'd seen in her son suddenly made a lot of sense. "You being on the tv is what led them to us, isn't it. It's why James…no sorry… Jack, it's why Jack was so worried, wasn't it. He knew it could lead the bad people right to you."

Aaron nodded. He watched her as she worked through everything. So much made sense now in a way it never had before. So did what she wanted change just because the man she'd married suddenly had a different name and the past he'd told her about was all a lie? One he'd been forced to take on because of circumstances out of his control?

Lifting her head, she said with quiet dignity, "We obviously don't have time to go into anything just now. Just know that I love you more than anything else in the world and my goal of dying quietly in my sleep curled in your arms in our old age hasn't changed. Whatever you need from me is yours always."

The relief he felt at her quiet acceptance of the million and one lies he'd woven around their lives caused a tear to slide down his cheek. As movement in the doorway alerted him to the knowledge they were no longer alone so he said quietly, "No matter what happens, do exactly what I say and for now whatever you do, don't move."

She nodded calmly and turned her head to study the man standing grinning in the doorway.

"This is all so delightfully like a storyline out of Days of our Lives. But alas the focus must change and the reason you are here becomes clearer." He walked to Caitlyn and Jack and grabbing a fistful of Jack's hair jerked the child's head up. "Do you want to die today little boy?" Jack whimpered a no and he abruptly let go. "Then pray that my lady cooperates because if she doesn't, you'll be the first to go."

With those words, he pressed the gun to the top of Jack's head and Caitlyn had to fight the extreme urge she had to throw them backwards out of the chair and place herself between her beloved son and this crazy man in front of her. Her eyes caught and held with Aaron's and they shared several long moments of silent, panicked understanding as the front door opened and closed quietly.

New Section-

Emily drove casually past her house and took everything in. Lights were on in the upstairs nursery, the living room and the front hall. She couldn't see any movement, but she knew someone was there and without hurrying she drove to the end of the block and turned down the next street as she pulled out her phone and dialled the number for her voice commanded alarm system. It would beep once she'd completed her commands, but there was nothing much she could do about that and the system would continue to show the same display as it did when turned off, as it had to be since the house wasn't currently surrounded by the small but efficient local police force.

She completed the phone call in record time and set the alarm on her watch. She fished her gun out of the handbag and set it in her lap. She then pulled out the backup gun she left under her seat and fitted the holster to the inside of her right boot. She pulled out her mobile and put it in her pocket and then checked her watch. Time to go; she'd have a minute to scope everything out before she had her opportunity to change things in her favour and she intended to come out of this alive and whole this time around.

As she pulled into the drive, she caught a brief flicker of movement at the front door and then she was out of the car and striding up the drive. She pulled her keys out of her bag and then dropped it on the sheltered porch to the side as she let herself into her house.

Years of training and work came back in a heartbeat as she quietly set down the keys and placed both hands on the gun. The safety clicked off quietly and she moved down the hall and into the light spilling from the living room with a quick smooth stride. Her sight swept the room from one side to the other and just for a second she turned her gaze to the rest of the hall; seeing no movement and sensing no one close by, she turned fully into the living room and faced her worst nightmare. She'd prayed all the way here that it would be anyone else but him, but now she wondered why she'd even bothered.

He stood in the room behind a woman and boy, with a gun placed squarely against the top of the child's head. The boy was absolutely still, fear obviously keeping him immobile, but the woman was shaking with fear and fury. Her eyes clearly ordered her to make everything better. Emily turned her gaze to the man tied to the chair staring at her with a quiet pleading she fully understood as realisation dawned of just who the boy must be before she looked back at the scene across from him.

"Hello Troy."

"Millie, Millie, Millie; did you honestly think you could hide from me? Or should I call you Emily? Or is it Rachel now?"

Emily shrugged just slightly as she looked him over. "Doesn't matter what you call me; you're still going to be dead within the next minute."

He raised a brow and asked politely, "What makes you think that?"

"Do you remember my promise to you right before I lost consciousness the last time we met?"

"Oh please; with the attraction between us, there's no way you meant it."

"Yes I did. I swore that if I ever laid eyes on you again and my gun was in my hand I would kill you. And I will."

He tipped up his chin and grinned. "See now this is where I have the advantage. If you don't do what I want this child will die and then you'll have his death on your hands. But then I'll need to get your oldest girl down here and she'll be in his place and we'll be back to square one."

"Where _are_ my daughters?" She was pretty certain she knew, but it would be nice to get confirmation while he was feeling chatty and cooperative.

"The girls are being held upstairs while we have this lovely little chat. Once we have everything sorted out and you come with me, we'll leave and they can go free. Though one of my men did note how very much like me your youngest looks so maybe I should ask if you've been keeping secrets from me instead."

"Ask away, but I'll never tell." She smiled as her watch beeped. She shifted her aim as her world narrowed down to what she could see. "And besides, you won't live long enough to ask them. Say goodnight Troy."

An alarm started screaming as the lights went off and started to strobe. Emily didn't hesitate; she fired three times exactly where she'd aimed and then spun out of the room and sprinted up the stairs. She burst into the nursery just as the men there pulled out their guns. Without hesitation, she fired at the man closest to her daughters and then at the other one, taking them both down. The alarm switched off and she knew it would send a test note to the police, alerting them to the fact that all was well. The last thing she wanted that night was for the police to land on her doorstep.

She dropped the gun on the baby change table and rushed over to the cot where both girls had been tied to the slats and gagged. She quickly untied them both and pulled them into her arms, sinking to the floor as they clung to her and sobbed; it started to sink in that for the second time in two years she'd very nearly died and taken her precious family with her.

As she sat and rocked the girls one thought began to become clear to her. Even in Witness Protection she wasn't safe.

New Section-

The alarm and lights switched off as quickly as they'd started and they were left for several moments in screaming silence before the main lights came back on. Aaron looked across at Caitlyn and Jack and felt relief make him weak. Though blood spattered, both appeared unharmed and were clutching at each other tightly. He shifted in his bonds as he looked around. Emily was nowhere to be seen.

He pulled at the ropes tying him down and grunted as he realised there was no leeway there at all. Caitlyn looked up at him and then murmured something in Jack's ear. The boy nodded and pulled back and Caitlyn checked him over from top to toe before hugging him again and then they walked over to him. They both embraced him before Caitlyn's fingers moved lightly over the back of his head. She made a slight sound of displeasure before she went to her knees and started trying to get the ropes binding him to release.

Several minutes passed before a frustrated noise passed from her lips. "I can't get this undone. It's far too tight."

"Perhaps you'll find a knife in the kitchen you can use."

Caitlyn stood back and pushed her tangled mass of blond hair from her face as she nodded. She turned to leave but he called her back. "Hey, baby. Are you alright?"

She turned back to him and smiled shakily. "I think so, but I could really use a stiff drink right about now, so once we're free, you need to give me the biggest hug because I can't justify putting our child at risk to feel better."

Jack didn't wait for his dad to be free; he simply wrapped his arms around his mum's waist and held on for dear life. She hugged him back just as tightly and murmured softly to him. When he let go, she leaned down and kissed his forehead gently and just for now, he thought that kisses perhaps weren't that gross after all.

A noise at the door to the living room brought his head around. Emily stood there with a baby in her arms and a little girl clinging to her hand. She walked closer and crouched down in front of the girl. With quiet words she coaxed the girl to the couch and left the baby with her, dishing out kisses and cuddles as she went.

She then turned to them and walked forward as she pulled her hair back from her face and tied it up.

"Do you know who tied you down?"

He shook his head. "I was still unconscious. I only know what I know through what Caitlyn and Jack told me." He nodded to the two standing silent watch to the side. She walked around him and crouched down but after a minute straightened and headed for the door.

"I'll need a knife to get you free. Will you be alright for another minute?"

"I'm still alive and thanks to you, so are they. I can wait another minute or two. Are they alright?"

She looked across at her daughters. Tammy had cried herself to sleep, but Katie watched her with huge wide eyes that looked haunted. Turning back to him she said softly, "We survived the last time we came in contact with Troy; we'll survive this time too." Looking at her daughter she said softly, "I'll just be a minute in the kitchen and then I'll be back." The child's eyes got even bigger, but she nodded anyway.

He watched as she left the room and then looked across the room at the little girl watching the door so anxiously. She held her baby sister close and rocked just slightly and he wondered again at the resilience of children as he looked across at his own son. Emily returned with several knives in one hand and her gun in the other. She set the gun on the floor near his feet and set herself to the task of getting him free with a vengeance.

"We'll need to clean up and get out of here quickly. The police won't come to the alarm because they are under the impression that it was just a test. Someone may have heard the gunshots despite the alarm though and will have phoned them. Since there is almost no crime involving guns in the town, they might take their time getting out here thinking it's just a hoax but I know they will investigate and we don't want to be here to explain what happened when they do. It'll just slow us down and allow others to come in and finish what they started."

"You were the member of team caught the last time the marshal's service was hacked, weren't you?"

She nodded with resignation. "Troy was the one who came last time too. He saw my photo and decided he had to have me for his very own. He only had me for 24 hours before the cavalry arrived to my rescue but it is amazing what can happen to a person's body in a day. I was raped repeatedly, beaten and tortured and I spent the next nine months in the hospital recuperating even as I carried Tammy to term. This was after I'd vowed my body belonged to Katie's father alone so the psychological trauma took longer to deal with than the physical trauma. I think the only reason I pulled through at all was because if I didn't, the girls went into foster care and I would disappear yet again with no chance of ever getting them back. I couldn't allow that so I turned my life around and we settled here with no one the wiser."

She looked at Troy's dead body and shuddered. "I can't go back there ever again with anyone and the only thing I keep coming back to is that despite two different names and moving twice, they still keep finding me. Even in witness protection I'm not safe. Perhaps it's something I'm doing wrong but if it is they should have picked up on it and stopped whatever it was ages ago. But the other option is that someone in the department keeps leaking my name to the people who most want me dead and now they've found you. Last time they came? There were over a dozen of them. The three here today are just a small section of them which leaves plenty of them to avenge their fallen friends and come after not only us, but the rest of the team too."

"What's your recommendation?"

"We slide off the grid and look out for ourselves. Find the rest of the team, ensure they are alright, warn them of the danger we've faced that may reach out to touch them and give them the option to join us. I've no doubt that if we can track down Penelope and Kevin they'll give us new identities no one can crack and then we find a small backwater town to settle down in and with luck we survive long enough to get our lives back."

Aaron shifted Jack to one arm and held out the other to Caitlyn. Relief made him giddy when she joined him without hesitation and wrapped her arms around him. He embraced them both tightly and asked softly what they wanted to do. He looked up as Emily murmured that she would be upstairs packing and they should come up to join her when they'd made their decision, no matter what it was. Aaron nodded briefly and watched as she collected her daughters and left the room.

Emily stood at the end of her bed five minutes later and watched as Katie and Tammy slept. She'd settled them on her bed with a blanket and their favourite stuffed toys and had rapidly gone through the nursery and Katie's room to pack what would be needed for their escape. She was eternally grateful that she owned a large 4WD; if Aaron and his wife chose to join them she would need all the room she could get. She'd returned to her room to pack her own things only to find that her daughters were snuggled into each other and sound asleep. She'd pulled out her suitcase but had to stop when her shaking hands continued to drop everything she'd picked up. So she'd gone back to studying her daughters and giving thanks that they were relatively unharmed while she got herself under control.

Noise at the door brought her head whipping around and her entire body tensed as she started to reach for the gun she'd placed at the small of her back. She had to force herself to relax when Caitlyn looked cautiously around the doorframe.

"Do you mind if we use your bathroom to clean up?"

Emily shrugged. "Use what you need to. The bathroom is on the other side of the nursery."

She extended her thanks and disappeared. Emily pulled her thoughts back to the present and set about packing up what she would need for the immediate future. She was just closing her second suitcase when the Hotchner family entered the room.

"We want to go with you," Aaron said quietly as he held Caitlyn close and stroked Jack's hair.

Emily nodded. "I'm guessing they would have grabbed you without any form of id or access to bank accounts, so it's a good thing I have lots of money stored both in the bank and outside of it in case of emergency. I also have several other fallback plans that we can easily utilise to disappear. I have several boxes I need to grab from the garage and then we can go."

"Do you want help with shifting your things?"

They all pitched in with moving the bags down to the garage and then while Emily brought the car in under cover so they could pack it without being seen, Caitlyn and Aaron went back up the stairs to collect the last bag and her daughters.

Emily accepted the last suitcase with a quiet thank you. Jack and Caitlyn settled into the back seat with blankets and pillows and were sound asleep within seconds of doing up their seatbelts. Aaron continued to hold Katie as Emily strapped Tammy into her car seat and then moved her to the seat at Emily's request. He strapped her in securely and covered her with the blanket she handed him. He closed the door to the car and turned in time to see Emily rubbing her wrist.

"You okay?"

"Yeah; I think it's just playing up because I haven't had to actually handle a gun for years, let alone firing it. I'll strap it up and then we can go."

He nodded and climbed into the car. She took one last quick look through the house before wrapping up her wrist and setting the alarm. She pulled out the holster she had at her ankle and handed it to Hotch as she took her seat behind the wheel. He took it with relief, feeling more secure than he had all day as he settled the gun within reach but out of sight. "What's the plan now?"

"Now we drive an hour and stop for the night at a cabin I own. There's only one bed, but we can get around that. I noticed Caitlyn's pregnant, so she can have the bed with the children and we can bunk down on the floor. It won't be comfortable, but we'll need our rest. We can have breakfast there while we check to see if we can find any of the others on the net. Then we'll switch cars with the one I have waiting there and head out of the state. You'll need clothing and supplies for the three of you sometime tomorrow and by nightfall we should check in to a motel for more rest. We can share the driving across the day as long as you swear to me that your vision is clear and you don't have a headache."

"What happens if we can't find any of the others?"

"Let's just focus on us for the night and leave tomorrow for when it comes. Life as we know it might be changing yet again, but this time, at least we have each other's backs."

New Section-

"That smells utterly delicious."

Emily turned her head and smiled slightly at Caitlyn Hotchner as she walked into the kitchen. The differences between this woman and Hailey, a woman she'd previously met only a couple of times showed Hotch definitely had a type. She was small boned with a mass of long blonde curls that were obviously natural and big blue eyes that made Emily think of a pretty porcelain doll. She had on the same blood-spattered jeans as yesterday but had borrowed one of the maternity tops Emily had unearthed from a box for her. She'd contemplated offering clean jeans as well, but Caitlyn's legs were definitely shorter and therefore she wouldn't have been comfortable. The blood could be explained away as paint if she was asked before they could dump the clothing. The riot that was her hair was already in the process of being tamed as she hooked a chair out from the table and sat.

"Thanks; it should be done in about five minutes if you're hungry. How'd you sleep last night?"

"Like the dead." She winced slightly but ploughed on. "I don't even remember moving from the car to here or changing."

Emily grinned. "It wasn't easy, but I managed it somehow. I had a more interesting time getting Hotch from the car to where he's sleeping now."

"Hotch?"

"It's the nickname we all had for him back in the BAU. How much do you know about our past?"

"Not a lot. He only told me who he is last night just before you arrived on the scene. I don't even know why he's in the program."

Emily shook her head when she noticed the curiosity tinging Caitlyn's eyes. "Sorry honey; if he hasn't told you, I'm not about to. He'll tell you when he's ready."

She sighed but nodded agreement and asked if she could help. "This is almost done, so if you want to wake the children and check on Hotch that would be great."

Ten minutes later they all sat down to breakfast. The children woke up pretty quickly and showed little ill effects from the previous evening but Aaron was obviously still suffering from the effects of the blow he'd taken to his head. When he would have gone back to bed, they bullied him into getting cleaned up, with Emily keeping him upright while Caitlyn cleaned. Between them they managed to get him into the other car Emily had kept in running order for just this occasion and got him strapped in to the back. The car Rachel had kept was a brilliant cherry red. The one they packed themselves into by nine was black as they come and tinted. Caitlyn was also relieved to hear that the glass was bullet-proofed. It was also bigger than the one from the night before, perfect for packing lots of gear into it.

As they packed they discussed what the plan was for the day. They needed food supplies for the trip and the Hotchner family still needed clothing urgently. They also needed access to the internet, which had been a impossibility at the cabin they'd been in the night before.

At 11 that morning, Emily pulled them into the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. Emily looked back at Aaron, who was now awake but with a headache he couldn't seem to shake despite the painkillers Caitlyn had grudgingly allowed him to take.

"We need to get Hotch in the front seat to make it look like the car is occupied and then we need to move fast and efficient-like. Do you know clothing sizes by heart for both Hotch and Jack?" When Caitlyn nodded, Emily continued, "While I get the food, you get the clothing. Don't forget underwear and shoes. Don't worry so much about style but aim for comfort and ease of movement. I want to be back on the road by midday, okay?"

Caitlyn nodded and they left the car. As they walked, Emily linked their arms and asked quietly, "Call me Nina in there, alright?"

"Okay. You can call me Anne."

Emily smiled in approval. "It'll take a little getting used to, but this life can easily become second nature if you let it. You'll be fine."

Caitlyn nodded slowly. Her life was now out of control and everything she'd ever known as familiar was long smashed to smithereens but she still had her family and to her, that was everything.

New Section-

"Where are we?"

"Hey there sleeping beauty. You've been whimpering slightly in your sleep. Are you feeling alright?"

Penelope pushed the lever to raise her seat and rubbed at her lower back. "My back is twinging a bit more than normal, but I think that has more to do with being confined in the vehicle for as long as I have been. How are we doing for time?"

"We just crossed the border into Utah half an hour ago so we are right on schedule to make the wedding. I've been seeing signs for the last 2 miles about a Wal-Mart so I thought we might stop and stretch our legs while we get something to eat."

"Hmm, great plan. You just might be my hero, particularly if you get me there in the next 30 seconds."

"Will do, fair maiden," he said as he signalled the turn off the highway.

She smiled, supremely pleased about how everything was turning out. Soon she'd see her super-family again for the first time in 5 years; life was about to come out in rainbows and kittens as far as she was concerned as she exited the car. Oh yes, kittens and rainbows here she came.

She moved into the store and looked around for the signs for the toilet. Spotting signs pointing to the back of the store, she grumbled slightly about the inconvenience of having to walk all the way to the back with such a full bladder. She made it just in time and felt relief as the incredible pressure that had been building the closer she got eased all of a sudden. She tidied up at the sink and walked out to find Kevin waiting for her.

She slipped her arm through his and they went to get food. She wasn't really that hungry, but she ate a piece of fruit because Kevin was worried about her. They made a few necessary purchases and then they got back on the road, with Kevin resting this time while Penelope drove.

Checking the clock on the dash, she smiled, pleased. They were right on schedule and with luck they wouldn't have any trouble at the other hooking up with her superhunk.

New Section-

Patrick paced the front of the church and again checked the clock on the wall of the balcony section. His best man, Lucas Chalker, laughed again as he stepped into his friend's path.

"Man if you don't start calming down you are going to be absolutely useless tonight. It's only just 2; she'll be here shortly. This is Carrie we're talking about; there will be no cold feet and no nerves. She loves you and adores you and she _will_ be here."

Patrick stopped and sighed. "I'm sorry. I just want to be man and wife already. And I feel like it's been forever since I saw her last."

Lucas snorted in amusement. "You so have it bad and I am so glad I am here to witness it. I was there the night you swore black and blue that there would never be a woman enough of anything to capture and hold your attention long enough to get you to fall in love with her and get you to the altar and now, here we are, 2 years later, at the altar of your wedding. Sweet poetry if you ask me."

Patrick levelled him with a look and had opened his mouth to deliver a pithy reply when music started from the stringed quartet hired for the day. He spun towards the door and waited anxiously, barely aware of Lucas moving him into position as the doors at the back of the church opened and Carrie's only sister started down the aisle with a smile on her face.

One by one the bridal party made it down the aisle and took their positions. The music stopped for a moment and then the bridal march started up. Everyone stood and then there she was.

Her hair, a rich mahogany colour threaded through with red highlights when displayed in the right light had been curled to better frame her pixie-like features and her vibrant green eyes were surrounded by a darker green eye shadow that brought the colour out even brighter. Because Carrie was a rebel in every sense of the word, she wore a tiara on her head but no veil. Her gown was a strapless, A-line design edged with gold, silver and red flowers. All her friend's and family had insisted on a white gown, but the colour she'd chosen was a pale ivory that better matched the golden colour of her tanned skin. Her skin itself glittered, he noticed as she came even closer and he couldn't wait to explore how she'd managed that.

To him, she was simply breathtaking and it wasn't until Lucas muttered something about breathing that he realised he was about to pass out from a distinct lack of oxygen.

Her smile as she reached his side on her father's arm was shy and excited all in one and the smile he shot her in return reflected an understanding of those emotions. That he was here now today with her was something he'd never seen coming but now that he _was_ here, he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Her father handed her over and joined her mother who was already crying quietly. The service began but the whole church just melted away as they looked at each other. The priest had to prompt them both in the speaking of their vows because they kept forgetting they weren't alone causing everyone to laugh quietly and the happy couple to blush outrageously. But then they reached the part where they got to say I do and suddenly they were completely attentive and more than ready.

No one responded to the 'speak now or forever hold your peace' bit and then the rings were exchanged and the priest was pronouncing them man and wife.

"You may now kiss your bride."

Patrick grinned as he raised shaking fingers to caress Carrie's face as he urged her closer. She smiled back as she stepped right into him, went up on tiptoe and married her mouth to his. Again the world faded away as they kissed and fireworks exploded. Only as they pulled back did Patrick realise that it couldn't possibly have been fireworks as his belly caught fire and Carrie stepped back with a large red stain on her dress. Time slowed down and sound faded as he looked around. People were running in all different directions as they screamed in panic and Lucas was beside him with a gun extended as he pointed it towards the balcony at the back of the room and fired before spinning and firing again.

He staggered as the fire raced through his body and made him weak and shifting his suit jacket out of the way he realised he'd been shot. He looked at Carrie as his knees buckled to see she was crying as she tried to apply pressure to the gaping hole in his side. Suddenly sound and time returned to normal and he could hear Lucas shouting at Carrie as he hauled Patrick up off the ground and started moving him towards the door in the side of the church. Carrie got in under his arm on his shot side and though he cursed in pain, she determinedly held on and kept him moving.

They stumbled out the side entrance as more bullets rained down on them. "What the hell is going on?" Carrie shouted over the din.

"Long story short; someone is trying to kill him. I'd say you'd be better off away from him but I'm not going to waste my breath."

"Smart man. Where to now?"

Lucas was about to reply that he wasn't at all sure where would be safe when a car screeched to a halt a metre from them and a woman leaned out the window.

"Get in!"

New Section-

"Excuse me sir. I'm reporting that Troy missed checking in with us so I sent a hunter to investigate his last known location. I regret to inform you that he is dead on the scene, as are the 2 men with him. Looks like the agents he was trying to coral got away unscathed."

"I see; do we have any ideas on where they are heading?"

"No sir. I also regretfully report that Derek Morgan has slipped the net."

"Do you have anything positive to report?"

"Yes I do. One of the techs received another transmission from Baby Blue. It was identical to the first one so now we have all the information we wanted in the first place."

"Excellent. Get the hunter who went to see to Troy have his body shipped back for burial and then set them on that bitch's trail til he gets hold of her. Tell him not to return until he brings her back to me; I want to extract my own revenge for what she did to my son. He can just kill the rest of the people who may be with her. Then set teams on the others and get rid of them. I don't want to hear about any more failure, understand?"

"Yes sir; I'll get on this right away."

Alone again, he turned to look at the portrait he had on the wall of his only son, his perfect protégé. 'Oh yes,' he thought to himself. 'The bitch will pay. That bitch will pay.'

End-

**A/N: I know I didn't get to everyone this chapter and I may not get to them all in the next one either, but there is method to my madness.**

**If you enjoyed, please review. I'm off to write chapter 3. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there. Hope you are all enjoying. I'm doing my best to work towards the point where we might be able to have some explanations, but as yet I'm not too sure I'm going to manage it in this chapter. I might wait til they've all met up and settled somewhere safe first.**

**FYI: I know distances and times might seem skewed in this story but I'm not writing those parts for accuracy so please just bear with me. I also apologise for an extremely messy timeline with my characters. This chapter will be all over the place timing-wise but I promise coming chapters will be timeline clean, neat and tidy.**

**As always, I love reviews so please feel free to leave them for me.**

**I still don't own anything but my own muse. (Sigh!)**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 3

"Firstein, we have a really big problem."

Greg groaned out loud. "No; no problems. Not now, not today. I only came in to work to drop off an urgently needed report and now I'm gone. I have plans for the day and problems just get in the way of that."

Toby shifted closer and waited as a couple of agents walked past them and around a corner.

"There's been two security breaches in the computer system in the last 36 hours."

Greg grabbed Toby and hauled him into a nearby vacant office. He shoved the door closed and hissed, "Don't tell me the system hacked was the database for the WPP."

"I wish I didn't have to. The information for that FBI team I'm helping you with was hacked and sent out twice. Both to the same place so I'll be checking to see what happened to the info in the first instance. I tried ringing round to all of them and not once did I get them on the phone. I didn't want to leave messages though because I wasn't too sure about protocol here."

Greg nodded. "You did well not leaving messages; I'll follow that up myself. Please follow up the other item and see if you can't figure out who is doing this. But be very careful; if we have someone dirty within the office, chances are they'll know immediately if you are snooping around and they might do away with you if you get too close to obviously. Report only to me and be sure to cover your tracks well."

Toby grinned. "Good thing I'm still cultivating my shiny new agent routine complete with often-made mistakes."

Greg nodded again, smiling almost reluctantly and moved them both back into the hall. Toby went left and he turned right back to his office. He phoned his wife immediately to let her know he'd been held up and then he set in motion the necessary warnings to the FBI unit under his protection and prayed that he wasn't already too late as he got message bank after message bank.

New Section-

"Are you sweeping mama?"

Emma cracked open an eyelid and then let it drop once she knew where her daughter was standing in proximity to her position.

"Yeah baby, I am sleeping."

"But mama, it's daytime which means it's time to pway. You can't be sweeping."

"Baby, let mama sleep. She needs her rest even if you do have so much energy all you want to do is play."

Lucy continued to argue with her father while Emma fought laughter as her small daughter argued with all the logic of a grown-up. When Henry's voice filtered in wanting to know what was going on, Emma decided she'd had enough and reaching out, hooked her daughter into her arms and pretended to cuddle her as she would a teddy bear, causing Lucy to shriek with outrage as she tried to get free.

Luke let it continue until Lucy planted a tiny fist in her mother's side and then he leaned in, scooped out the child, chided her gently but firmly on the rules for hitting and then set her to the side as he looked at his wife. She smiled slightly at him and lifted a hand to cup his cheek.

"We're fine love. She didn't hit me that hard, I promise."

He nodded and shooed the children off a short way to play with a ball while he sat beside Emma and cuddled her close for a few minutes. Emma yawned and snuggled close, drifting in a half-asleep, half-awake state. A day spent at the park had been a great suggestion but the very act of getting everything packed into the car and driving here and then playing for a while had exhausted her. She'd only been awake for a couple of hours and already she felt like she could sleep for the next 24. Oh well; only another month to go and then her normal energy levels would come back to her and an outing at the park would be a joy.

Henry and Lucy came over a couple of minutes later arguing over something inconsequential again. More and more lately they were arguing about everything. The day with that delightful little surprise this past week had seen them truly happy and working well together for the first time in almost a month. As a result, Luke had put his foot down; if they squabbled even once, the outing was cancelled and they could spend the rest of the day at home with no special treats for lunch.

Luke reminded the children about his warning and started packing everything up. The children promised to be good but he'd heard it before often in the last week particularly and he'd given in and nothing had changed. Emma had listened to him as he'd poured out the stress of the last week to her and had suggested that since the soft approach wasn't working they introduced consequences to the squabbling. Luke had reluctantly agreed as long as she promised to keep him strong.

They started to cry and whine as he woke Emma and gathered the packed equipment. Emma took a hand each and started walking determinedly for the car, explaining as she went that the children were now facing the consequences of their actions. The children continued to promise to be good as she strapped them in.

"You have promised this before, we've relented, and then we are dealing with another quarrel. From now on you will have one warning and then we will be cancelling an activity, treat or outing. From this we hope you will learn to get along again and realise that you don't need to fight. If you do not learn this, you will continue to miss out on all of the fun stuff daddy and I want to take you to do and this will make us sad because we love to have fun too."

They'd just finished loading the car with gear when Luke stilled, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He hesitated a moment before pulling out his mobile.

"The last time I saw that look on your face was right after you got off the phone with Agent Firstein the last time they moved us. What is it?"

"I don't honestly know but I have this sense that going home would be an absolute disaster."

New Section-

They were so on edge surrounded by a neighbourhood full of people out and about in the already-intense morning Texas sunshine that when the phone rang, they all spun with their weapons drawn and pointed at the machine before the first ring faded into silence. They exchanged looks and waited for the answering machine to kick in but after three rings it didn't and the phone stopped. Then a voice filled the room.

"Hello darling, it's Sheena. Listen, about Henry's sleepover here tonight I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cancel on ya. Tommy woke up with the most god-awful rash all over his chest and I just don't wanna have to deal with a grumpy bunch of parents if it turns out to be contagious. Call me and we'll reschedule. Love ya Peaches."

No one moved as another voice filled the room.

"Hey Mr and Mrs Rhodding this is Greg in Washington. Please call me asap; it looks like it might be raining with hail over the weekend."

A beep filled the silence and was followed by a click.

"Gentlemen, we need to figure out where the LaMontagne's are spending the day quickly because that sounded suspiciously like a code of some sort.

New Section-

"Well?"

"There's a message from Agent Firstein. They've been hacked and our information is in the wind."

"We should head home, grab some things and go."

"I think we should skip home and just go. I have a really, really bad feeling here."

Emma, formerly known as Jennifer Jareau, now JJ LaMontagne, nodded slowly. "I trust you; if you think we should just go, then that's what we'll do."

Will sighed. "There'll be complaints from the kids about what is being left behind, but do we want to risk everyone's lives and find that there is already someone waiting for us?"

"Not at all. You drive; I'm too tired to concentrate for more than 5 minutes at a time at the moment. Grab drivethru for all of you for lunch and get me something that will keep for later; just let me sleep til you need a break and then wake me. We need to get as far away from here as possible."

"Since we don't have a fallback, where do you think we should go?"

"I don't know. How about we just start driving and as you go, think about where you have always wanted to visit but never have and head us in that direction. Program it in and I'll just continue us there when I take over."

That decided, they climbed in and drove away from the life they knew.

New Section-

"Hey love, is everything packed up and ready to go?"

"Absolutely; all we need to do is get in the car and we can start Gideon's first trip to the beach. West Park here we come. Have you confirmed our beach house is definitely available? Because I remember in great detail the last time we went on vacation…"

"Sam, do you love me?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Then shut up now and get in the car."

He flushed and mumbled a yes mam that had her laughing as she climbed behind the wheel for the first leg of the journey.

New Section-

"Is this the place?"

"Looks like it. It's a glorious Saturday afternoon; we should have a few hours to snoop through the house without anyone spotting us while everyone is out and about. Do you think we'll get lucky enough to find an open door or window and a deactivated alarm system?"

His mate snorted derisively and they stopped talking as they pulled their delivery van into the drive and exited the vehicle. They tried the front of the house first before heading around the side with the large box they carried as both a prop and a way to carry the necessary equipment they had with them. The back was just as locked up, so they set about picking the lock and entering the property. One of them jogged for the front of the house and though the alarm went off, it stopped within a couple of seconds as the device they had did the trick.

They worked quickly in tandem and met at the bottom of the stairs a minute after they'd parted.

"Looks like they've gone on holiday for spring break. Down to a beach house at West Park. I have the address and the confirmation from the realtor, as well as all contact details and alarm codes. Directions on how to get there too. So we can sit around here for the week and wait for them to return or we can follow them and take some much needed sun-time once we are done with the working part of this lovely little adventure."

"If we wait around here chances are good we'll be spotted pretty quickly. Whereas if we do it at the beach, sure they may be found soon, but we'd be able to avoid the nosy neighbours."

"Let's do West Park; I need to work on my tan and I could really use a good lay from a beach bunny too."

New Section-

"Get in!"

Lucas hesitated, thinking the woman looked familiar to him but not enough for him to place his charges in her hands.

"You can stand there all day if you want but they're just going to keep firing at you because they want him dead. If you die too, even better because that then is one less good guy they have to get through to get to him. Decide now!"

Lucas hesitated another moment but Patrick lifted his head and squinted against the glare of the sun.

"Hey baby girl. Long time no see."

"Hey hotstuff superhero. You're not looking so good right now."

"I've felt better, that's for sure. This is Carrie, my gorgeous bride."

"She's simply stunning babe. Now please, get in the car."

Lucas sighed and nodded at the car. They quickly climbed in, grateful for the room afforded to them by the 4WD's size. The second Lucas shut the door Penelope hit the gas and they peeled away from the church, throwing the three in the back around.

"Babe, you need to slow down. If you don't the police will pull us over and then we'll have to take Derek to a hospital and then we'll be stuck giving explanations and lying to the cops."

She eased back on the gas slightly and shot an apologetic look in the rearview mirror where their passengers were trying to sort everything out.

"Any chance you have a med kit in this car?"

"Not one, but we can easily remedy that if you tell me what you need. A short trip to the chemist and we can be flying again."

Carrie started raffling off a list of supplies she'd need and then stopped abruptly. "I need to know how you know Patrick and who Derek is and what the HELL is going on here. And not from you, either!" She shouted at Lucas when he started to answer her with another vague story.

Penelope flicked a look at Kevin and he half turned in his seat to look at them in the back. "I'm Kevin and this is my wife Penelope. You know him as Patrick Monahan but we know him as SSA Derek Morgan."

"What's an SSA?"

"Supervisory Special Agent. It's a rank within the FBI. For the last 5 years we've all been living within the boundary's set by the Witness Protection Program under the branch of the US Marshal's Service."

Lucas cut in there. "Yes well; what I want to know is why you aren't still where you were placed. It almost sounds like you know more than me and I received an update just this morning saying everything was fine."

Penelope cut him a withering look. "Oh please, your techs don't hold a candle to us. We received a call early yesterday from an unknown wanting to _know_ everything. I played dumb and they went away but I know someone was trying to find us specifically. You don't ask those kinds of questions for just any reason. So I hacked the Marshal's computer network and it turns out that someone within the service has found our information and emailed it to an external party. I'll give you 2 guesses as to which party they emailed it to. Everyone thinks we are all still safe in the service but the truth is, we're all just sitting ducks waiting to be killed. So we decided to leave, find the others, warn them and then fall off the grid."

Lucas groaned in frustration. "You can't just do that without letting someone know. We protected you last time there was a breach and we moved you and we can do it again."

Kevin shot Derek a look. "Yeah man, he looks real protected right now." He looked at Carrie. "Derek's out cold now so the choice is yours." He took the hand Penelope was trying to shush him with. "We can drop the three of you at a hospital now that you've been warned and you can trust the Marshal's service with your continued protection. Or you can come with us, find the others and fall off the grid and maybe have a chance of surviving this thing."

Penelope shot Kevin a murderous glare but addressed Carrie. "We aren't being followed; I don't think they were expecting you to be able to get away. There's a mall just up ahead where we can stop in at a chemist and also get you some less conspicuous clothes. Or I can turn right towards the hospital. You need to tell me now though."

Carrie tuned out Lucas's furious voice as he tried to influence all of them. She stroked Derek's rapidly cooling skin. She was a midwife now but had been a nurse of one kind or another for almost 15 years. She could help him herself, she was sure of it. She could also go the hospital route, but she knew that while he was at the hospital the bad guys could find them both and kill them in their vulnerable states. She flicked a look at Lucas. If she stayed with Penelope and Kevin they would have to ditch him though; there was no way he wouldn't try to get the service involved in this and then where would they be? She didn't entirely understand all that was going on, but she would do whatever was necessary to save her beloved new husband's life, both now and into the future.

"Go to the mall," she said interrupting Lucas's diatribe on their combined stupidity. "Do you have pen and paper? I'll write down what I need and clothing sizes too."

New Section-

"JJ honey, I need you to wake up, eat something and take over the driving now. JJ?"

JJ groaned as she lifted a hand up to shield her eyes against the brightness of the afternoon sunshine. She turned her head to squint at Will.

"I'm awake; what time is it?" she croaked.

Will handed her a bottle of water and a salad sandwich with an apple. "It's about four in the afternoon. The children have just woken up so I thought we'd stop while I let them run around for a bit. You can get out and eat and then we can head off. We'll stop for dinner about six and then after dinner I'll take over again."

"Where are we?" she asked this time as she got out of the car. She felt stiff and tired but luckily the nausea that was a frequent companion was missing.

"We're currently in Wichita Falls and our destination is somewhere in Colorado. I'm still thinking on exactly where we should end up but I figure we have plenty of time for that."

She nodded and settled into a seat. She watched as Will ran the children round all the equipment and took time to reassure them and explain what was happening. Henry vaguely remembered the bad men from the last time so he nodded and promised to be good and Lucy followed in her brothers' stead because everyone was so serious and sad and she didn't like either emotion in her little world.

Returning to the road, JJ popped a popular kids cd in the player and they all sang along as they continued down the long road.

New Section-

Sam Harper, formerly Dr Spencer Reid, watched his wife Austin as she pulled them off the highway and parked the car. He lifted a hand and stroked it gently through her honey-coloured hair. He'd been awkward around just about everyone but especially women for most of his life. Austin, by her tenacity and her belief that they were meant to be, for otherwise how had they managed to find each other again, had smoothed a lot of his rough edges and settled him. He would never be 100% comfortable with women he didn't know well, but neither did he have trouble relating to them anymore. She was truly the very best of the lot and he sent up yet another thanks to some unknown deity for bringing them back together.

She turned to him and grinned. "I don't know about you but I'm hungry and in desperate need of a toilet break. I thought we could stop here for a half hour, clean up a bit, eat, walk around and then you could take over the driving til we reach our destination."

Reid looked at the Wal-Mart looming in front of them and grinned. "That is the best idea I've heard all day."

New Section-

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

"He'll be fine. It's just a mild sedative; wears off in 12 hours. The room is paid through til tomorrow and since he thinks we are heading for New Jersey, he'll be travelling a completely different road to us, and then only if he can find a vehicle. By that time we should be long gone."

Carrie took another look at Lucas where he was sprawled on the bed snoring and shook her head. She smoothed a hand down her new, too crisp jeans and nodded to where Kevin was tucking Derek into his seat in the car. "The bleeding slowed some, but he's still too cold and his pulse too erratic for my liking. When we stop tonight, I need to try to find why he is still bleeding and stitch him up. We should also somehow get our hands on antibiotics as well. There's no way that wound isn't getting infected to some degree."

Penelope took the other woman's hand and squeezed. "I've known Derek Morgan for years and I can tell you there is no way he isn't fighting to stay with you as we speak. He'll make it, _especially_ with you on his side."

"God I hope so."

"Ladies, we're ready to go if you are."

Penelope took the arm Kevin offered and turned, rubbing at the continued ache pulsing dully across her entire lower back. Carrie pulled the door to the room closed and turned to follow them. She frowned as she noticed what Penelope was doing.

"When are you due?"

"Hmm? Oh, not for another 5 weeks yet. It's nothing, just too much sitting and not enough exercise, that's all."

Carrie looked doubtful, but nodded as she climbed into the backseat of the car and reached across to check on Derek.

New Section-

Emily pulled the car to the side of the road about a hundred metres from the T fork in the road and leaned her head back against the rest. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed softly. It was so late in the day and she'd been driving for so long. If she kept driving they'd end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

"Emily? Are you alright?"

Emily turned her head to look at Caitlyn sitting in her passenger seat as she rubbed her eyes. The 2 women had bonded that day over a mutual love for their children, chocolate and being strong women in professions that often stereotyped women and made them feel like outcasts. She'd fallen asleep shortly after they'd gained the road after dinner and with everyone else in the car sound asleep, Emily had felt herself drifting off too.

"Not really. I know we need to turn left to get to the changeover for Utah but once we hit the changeover we are on it for about 2 hours before we can get off it and there is still the hour to get to it in the first place. I vaguely remember driving it once with a case. There was a petrol station on this end of it and that was it until we made it to the other side. I know where we need to go, but if we don't get some sleep soon, the only place we'll be going is to the morgue after we all die in an auto accident."

"So what if we go right?"

"I think there are a couple of towns within an hour's drive of us so we'd have a few options."

"So we switch seats and I take us right at that fork. An hour tops and we can bed down for the night. I'm certain I could manage to drive that far since the alternative might be sleeping in this car and I really don't like the thought of doing that."

Emily agreed wholeheartedly so they switched seats and Caitlyn set the car in motion. Emily pretty quickly drifted off to sleep and felt that it was only a few short minutes later that she was being shaken awake.

"Hey. I got us a family suite for the night. It's got three bedrooms and a living area with attached kitchenette. Only one bathroom but we can work around that."

"Sounds excellent. Thanks ever so much for taking over."

They worked together to get everyone inside. Aaron was awake and far more alert than he had been previously and Caitlyn could feel her concern easing as she noted his pupils were entirely normal again. They woke the older 2 children up to help with moving suitcases from the car while Emily carried the baby bag and Tammy.

The suite they entered was luxurious and spacious and exactly what they needed. She insisted Aaron and Caitlyn take the master bedroom with the king sized bed. She'd take the room with the double bed and the third room could be for the children. Katie and Jack got a single bed each and Emily put Tammy in the portable cot she'd brought along for just this reason.

With the children down for the count they arranged a time to meet for breakfast and saying goodnight departed for their rooms.

New Section-

Jack checked his watch and sighed unhappily. His desire to eat out had been a great idea when he'd originally thought of it. Until a couple of buddies had goaded him into a couple of rounds of cards that had lasted a good 3 hours. Now he was exhausted and broke and as he approached his apartment, aware suddenly that a very loud party was going on just 2 apartments down from his. He sighed again as he pulled out his keys and fitted the appropriate one to the lock.

As he pushed open the door he dropped his keys on the floor and groaned. It was really too late in the evening he thought as he bent over to collect the dropped set. When he thought back on it later, he decided that dropping his keys had been a blessing in disguise as the bullet that would have caught him in the forehead slammed into the wall behind him.

He threw his body back and to the right, brutally ignoring the way his back muscles screamed at him that he wasn't a young man any more. He rolled once until he could feel his feet under him and pelted down the hall, zigzagging as he went to throw off his attackers aim. That didn't stop them from continuing to shoot however and one bullet in particular grazed his arm before slamming into the wall in front of him as he threw himself into the stairwell.

New Section-

"Shit! Oops, sorry."

"Don't worry about the language. What's wrong?"

"How much of the supplies were left of what we purchased before medically speaking?"

"Not a lot; just some gauze and a bandage."

"Damn! If we ask for access to the lodge medical kit, are they going to ask questions we can't answer?"

"Most likely."

Carrie swore again softly and looked up at Kevin. "There is no way I can do anything more for him unless I get more supplies and if I don't do anything more for him, I have no doubt he will die." She thought carefully as she checked again through the small med kit the room had. It hadn't miraculously produced anything new in the last minute. "Can you do me a favour and bang on the door next to us? See if they'll give up their kit without asking questions? By the time you return I'll have hopefully thought of something else we can try."

Kevin moved rapidly out of the suite and to the one next door. They'd found this place with it's extreme luxury and space about dinner time and had settled in. Derek had woken up briefly but was obviously not coherent and in a lot of pain and Carrie had been by his side continuously since as she tried to treat him back to health. Now it was almost midnight and things weren't improving; he just hoped fervently that someone would still be awake and actually in their suite in this busy, tourist town.

New Section-

Emily eased out of the door of her room and looked at the just opening door across from her. She pressed a finger to her lips and moved fluidly out into the main living area and to the door. She turned her head and spotted Hotch as he moved into heavy shadows in the kitchenette. A glance at the hall showed Caitlyn moving into the children's room with a phone in hand and a moment later she heard the soft snick of a lock clicking into place. She looked back at Hotch and found him nodding at her as he eased his gun up to a ready position. The knocking that had woken them up continued and was getting louder as she shifted her hand with the gun to her side and slightly out of sight.

She opened the door just a little as she stood slightly to the side of it and then gasped as a familiar figure appeared on the other side of the wood.

"Kevin?"

"Agent Prentiss?"

She pulled the door open wider and gaped at him as he grinned in relief. She heard Hotch move from where he'd been standing and move to stand behind her.

"You guys have no idea how good it is to see you. We need your med kit."

"Is someone injured?" Hotch enquired.

"Derek Morgan was shot in the side."

"Prentiss…"

"Already on it sir."

"She'll get my wife, who is a doctor. How bad is the wound?"

"It's bad; he was shot about 2.30 this afternoon and his wife thought she'd gotten the bullet out and closed it off well enough but now she's thinking there might have been 2 bullets because he's only getting weaker and it's still bleeding."

Caitlyn appeared following Emily. She carried Tammy while Emily had Katie. "Aaron, you can either stay in here with Jack or come next door with us."

"Leave the door open then cause I'll try not to wake Jack again if I can help it."

They rushed in the suite next door while Kevin squashed his numerous questions flatter than flat; now was not the time for him to satisfy his insatiable curiosity. Emily and the woman who had to be Hotch's wife set the girls gently on one of the couches together and covered them up with blankets. Hotch followed with Jack as they rushed down the hall. They entered one of the back rooms following Kevin to find Derek lying on the bed and looking pale despite his complexion, a young woman hovering over his side and…

"Penelope Garcia."

The pregnant blond squealed with delight. "Oh my, it's superwoman, out to save the day."

The two women embraced tightly before turning back to the bed as Caitlyn introduced herself.

"My name is Dr Caitlyn Campbell. Can I help?"

"You can take over if you want to; I don't know why he's not getting better or what more I could have done. I don't know if I did something wrong..."

"Probably not if you were being shot at while you were trying to make decisions and fix him up. Can you tell me your name and what happened?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "My name is Carrie. Patrick…sorry, Derek is my husband. We'd just been pronounced man and wife and he was kissing me when his whole body jerked. He pulled back and there was blood on my wedding dress and a bullet in his side. Then Lucas was there and firing at some people in black and we were running out of the church; Penelope and Kevin pulled up and told us to get in and we did and off we went."

"Lucas?"

She turned her head to look at the man standing in the doorway with his legs spread and his arms crossed over his chest and looking serious. She flicked a look at Kevin.

"Perhaps we should do full introductions, supposing we are all using our given names at this point in time?" When he had confirmation from everyone, he continued, "The man at the door is SSA Aaron Hotchner and you've met his wife Caitlyn. Over with Pen is SSA Emily Prentiss. Any partners I need to know about?"

"That's what I want to know," Hotch muttered as Emily shook her head and shot him a look.

Kevin ignored Hotch as he gestured at Carrie. "This is Carrie, Derek's wife. As to Lucas, turns out Derek was close friends with his WPP agent so they were sharing a bachelor pad together. When we peeled away from the church, he kept insisting they could look after us, even though our info had been hacked already and we had Derek there bleeding all over the place. So we gave him a mild sedative and left him thinking we'd gone one way when we came here."

"Why here?" Hotch asked curiously.

"Sorry to interrupt but I urgently need some more supplies or Derek is going to die and soon. We passed a chemist on the way here that said it was open 24/7 so I'll give you a list and you'll need to get everything on it."

"You'll have to give me directions," Kevin said with a nod.

Aaron shook his head. "I'll go; I was awake when we passed it and I clearly remember how to get there. And before you ask love, yes I will be alright. It wasn't too far back and my head feels fine."

Caitlyn nodded and dictated a list to Carrie who wrote rapidly. Aaron ran back for his shoes and a jacket and returned only long enough to confirm the items on the list before he left. Caitlyn and Carrie worked in tandem trying to keep the blood flow from increasing and Emily and Penelope discussed baby's and due dates until Penelope gasped and grabbed her stomach. Carrie's head snapped round and she glared at Penelope.

"I knew it; all afternoon I've been saying it and saying it and you kept denying it but I've been keeping an eye on you and I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Caitlyn asked as she eased back and took Derek's pulse.

"She's in active labour," Carrie almost shouted as she stabbed a finger at Penelope who was already doubling over again.

Caitlyn sighed. "We have a saying in the ED department where I worked. When it rains it pours and if it's not blood it's babies. When are you due?"

"Five weeks," Penelope gasped out round another contraction.

Carrie hesitated with a longing look at Derek before turning to Caitlyn. "If you're right with treating Derek on your own, my current vocation is as a midwife so I'd really like to check Penelope over thoroughly and assess how long we've got before the littlest Lynch makes its entrance on the world."

"Go on; I'll take great care of Derek and I'll yell if I need any help."

Emily and Carrie moved Penelope to the other bedroom and Carrie took time to remove her panties and check her positioning. Kevin hovered near the doorway and clung to Emily's hand.

"Okay, we are going to be having a new arrival sometime in the next hour. I'm going to need some more supplies."

"I don't have Hotch's number but I can get directions from Caitlyn and go out to get what you need."

Carrie made a rapid list as Kevin moved to Penelope's side to support her. Emily took the list next door and Caitlyn added directions to it and after promising to check on the kids in a few minutes to be sure everything was still alright, she rushed next door and then out into the frigid cold of the night.

New Section-

Jack kept to shadows and moved rapidly despite the fire in his ankle and back. He figured if he could get to the police station he might have half a chance and he cursed his stupidity at leaving his gun in his apartment when he so obviously needed it. As he rounded yet another corner, getting closer to the centre of town, he wondered who wanted him dead this time.

New Section-

Aaron left the chemist cursing the stupidity of the moment he'd decided to walk the journey from the lodge to the town and nearly slammed into Emily as she came flying in the door. He steadied them both as she took a breath and mumbled an apology.

"What did Caitlyn forget?"

"Nothing; Garcia went into labour and Carrie needs supplies. You should fly; Caitlyn looked really worried when I left."

He nodded as he noticed her car parked on the curb beyond her. "I didn't bring a vehicle so if you see me on the road on the way back, don't hesitate to pick me up."

She agreed quickly and he let her go as he raced out the door. It had taken him 10 minutes on the winding road from the lodge to reach the town and that had been all downhill. He was just muttering anew at his stupidity in not thinking to take the car when something grazed his arm and spun him around as instinct threw his body to the ground and behind the cover of a nearby vehicle.

'Just one more thing to curse about,' he thought to himself as he noted that if not for the pain in his arm and the hole in the wall he wouldn't have even known he was being shot at because there had been no rapport of a weapon of any kind. He reached for his gun holster and cursed again. He'd left the gun back in the suite when he'd collected Jack.

He looked at his arm which was on fire and bleeding heavily and then at the brickwork and figuring out the trajectory of the bullet he moved rapidly down the line of cars, doing his best to stay under cover. He'd left his family totally unprotected and then there was Emily's daughter's to consider since the enemy seemed to want the Prentiss family badly. He rounded a corner and getting his bearings took off down the block as he fought to stay in the shadows and out of the gunman's sights.

New Section-

Jack grimaced as something sharp grazed his cheek and another bullet thunked into the wall just in front of him. He was beginning to think the gun man chasing him was playing with him just for the fun of it. He looked around as he ran. If he could get around the corner he'd be right, with the police close at hand; he just needed enough speed to get there without another bullet slamming into him on its way to the wall.

He picked up his pace and burst around the corner, slamming into someone coming the other direction with enough force that they both fell to the ground. He shook his head hard of the shock of the impact and started to struggle to his feet only to fall back in shock as he recognised the man also trying to get up.

"Hotch?"

The man's head came up and he stared, stunned. "Rossi?" His eyes suddenly went wide as he looked beyond him and when Rossi went to turn to see what had set him off, two things stopped him at the same time. The feel of a gun pressed to the back of his head and the sight of another man pressing a gun to the back of his former boss's head.

End-

**A/N: My sister pointed out that she liked cliffhangers, so please stay tuned for more if you want to see how they get out of this one.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Belated Merry Christmas to you all! Early Happy New Year as well! **

**Thanks for your patience in waiting for this update. Christmas got a little crazy there and the characters hit a little wall midway through this chapter but they scaled said wall as they always do and have continued on triumphant.**

**WARNING: There is a sex scene at the end of this chapter.**

**I had previously loaded it without the warning, so thanks heaps to MorganxGarcia for bringing this to my attention. I'm sorry if you've already read the chapter without knowing what was coming.**

**Just a reminder that I love reviews and I don't own Criminal Minds.**

**Thanks to those who have added my story to their alerts and also a special thanks to the following who have reviewed my story:**

**PrincessHotch**

**Anon**

**MorganxGarcia**

**And now on with Chapter 4.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 4

JJ jolted out of sleep as a particularly big pothole in the road threatened to tip the Explorer on its side. Yawning and stretching as much as possible in the confined space, she asked sleepily, "Where are we that it is so completely dark on all sides of the vehicle?"

Will grinned. "Hey beautiful. You have excellent timing. We are on the long winding drive belonging to the resort I called ahead and booked us into. I thought we might spend a few days here, accumulate a few much needed items and take some time to decide where we want to disappear."

"You mean we can't disappear here?"

"Not at these prices. At any rate, we are almost there; a sign a mile back said it was only another two to go. And it's not entirely isolated. The town is about 10 minutes behind us and there is another car a little bit ahead of us. I keep seeing their lights so we must be safe with other people around."

"Hmm, sounds good. I'll need access to a toilet real soon and sleeping in an actual bed again will be such a relief."

Will hummed his agreement and they fell silent as JJ turned to look at the children. They rounded another bend and the road opened up in front of them. Turning back to face front, JJ gasped and stared.

The sprawling expanse of the resort spread before them in twinkling lights, polished mahogany wood and classic cream-coloured brick. Four stories were dotted with balconies and massive picture windows. The majority of the upper three stories were sunk in darkness but sections of the lower floor were still alight to welcome guests. Beyond the lodge they could see the massive spread of the snow fields and the cable cars that would whisk you to the top of the mountain so that you could ski any of over a dozen different runs. Smaller chalets were dotted across the hills and a smaller budget lodge could be seen another half mile up the hill.

"Nice choice Will," JJ breathed in awe. "This is perfect."

Will smiled pleased and checked his watch. "We're just in time too; they said to be here by midnight or we'd miss out on checking in and would be stuck in the living area til six. We have a three bedroom suite on the top floor; all they had left at any rate."

"That's fine," JJ murmured as she yawned again. Her eyes started to flutter shut and she shook her head hard. Just a little while longer, she thought as Will pulled there car up beside the one that was idling there. Every other spot was taken.

They climbed out and set about shifting the kids out of the car. Accepting Lucy's weight from Will, JJ almost dropped her as a man walked towards the car next to them and then stopped dead.

"JJ? Will? Oh my god; I don't believe it!"

"Spence?"

New Section-

David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner stared at each other with death in their eyes as they waited to see what their pursuers were about. But the two men just stood there with the guns, as if waiting for something or someone else. Dave was wondering if they could surprise their attackers and win the upper hand or if they'd end up dead with such a foolish move when a gun suddenly went off, not once, but twice in rapid succession. He was sure time slowed down as he waited for death to come but it didn't happen and as he watched, the man behind Hotch fell sideways into the wall and a thud occurred not only in front of him but behind him as well.

He turned his upper body to look when the excruciating pain he felt in the wrenched muscles of his back caused him to very nearly pass out. Hotch moved closer and helped him ease into a sitting position.

"That'll bring the police in a hurry."

Hotch shook his head as he pressed a hand to his arm. As Dave looked, he noticed blood was fast pouring out around the younger man's hand. "You shot?"

"Missing a chunk of my arm, but the bullet is currently in the wall outside the chemist. And the police weren't there. I stopped long enough to try as I went past but there is no one there manning the fort. I would assume our adversaries were smart enough to distract them before they started firing."

"Speaking of firing, where is our saviour and why aren't we dead."

Another gun blast suddenly rent the air. The two men jumped and then jumped again as a body slammed into the ground a few meters to their left. Dave wished the gun sitting down near his foot was closer as a shadow detached itself from the dark across the road and moved cautiously towards them, gun tracking the skyline continuously. As he watched, they avoided a streetlight and came over. His entire body jerked with joy as he recognised who it was.

"Emily," he breathed hoarsely.

She shot him a smile and a wink, handed him the gun from near his feet and moved around to the other dead guys. She handed another gun to Hotch and pocketed the third weapon.

When she was again standing in front of them she placed her hands on her hips and said dangerously, "Right then; who of you is injured, how are you injured and how bad is it?"

New Section-

JJ and Reid stood there for several minutes just tallying up the changes in the others' body before they almost fell into the hug they found themselves in. Will looked on, though his attention left them when a young woman got out of the other car and shivered.

Ever the gentleman, Will shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you. I'm Austin Reid."

"Will LaMontagne Jr. That's my wife JJ."

"Oh yes; I remember Spencer telling me about JJ right after we first met about 6 years ago."

"Are you staying here?"

Austin shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. Spencer was trying to get us a room."

Reid pulled back from the hug and wiped his eyes discreetly as he turned to his wife. "We'll have to go back to town. They don't have anything available out here though they think the pub may have a room left."

JJ and Will exchanged looks. "Do you guys have kids?"

"Only one and he has his port-a-cot."

JJ beamed at them. "We have a three bedroom suite booked. The kids get the room with the single beds and we'll take the master room, but that leaves a room with a double bed that you are more than welcome to share with us."

Reid grinned relieved. "That would be such a relief. We can trade the why's of what is happening and see if we can come up with a reason why the WPP left us hanging in the wind for anyone to find us."

JJ agreed with this but yawned. "After I check out the bathroom and get a good night's sleep though."

They all decided this was best so they turned to unpacking the children and gear they had with them.

New Section-

Emily continually checked her rear view mirror to make sure they weren't followed. She turned into the parking lot for the lodge content that they were clear of anyone else who may have still been in town looking to kill them.

After demanding a rundown of additional injuries, she'd left the two men sitting on the corner, shaking her head at the stupidity of it all. Caitlyn had her hands full as it was and now there were more people to divide her attentions. She'd been careful as she'd moved back to the car and driven it back to the corner. Since she was annoyed at both men for them having been in harm's way, no matter how innocently it had started, she'd loaded them both into the backseat. No one had spoken; the moment wasn't right for explanations. She'd been extremely amused to note that Hotch's bag of chemist items was near where he'd fallen; even being shot at the man had intended to pull free of his pursuer's and get what his wife needed to help Derek. It would have been cute in anyone but Hotch. In him it was just a display of his stubborn streak; this was familiar and in a strange way, comforting.

Noting that there weren't any parking spots that she could see, she drove towards the main entrance and parked in a disabled spot. She'd collected the chemist's bags and run them upstairs and was back at the car opening the back door to help the guys out when a familiar, slightly squeaky voice called, "Emily?"

She turned her head and started in shock. "Reid? JJ? Will? Oh my god guys this is so strange."

She rushed over to embrace them then returned to the car as they continued on to check in before they missed out. Emily returned to the car and pulled Dave out, bracing him as Hotch got under his arm on the other side. They made their slow way into the lobby and by the time they reached the lift, the others had checked in and were right behind them.

"Which rooms are you guys in?" Emily asked curiously as they all ascended to the fourth floor.

"330; apparently right in the corner but we only booked it this afternoon so we shouldn't complain if the view is less than spectacular. Reid and Austin will take the second bedroom in our suite since there wasn't anything else available. What about you guys?"

"Hotch and I are sharing 328. Hotch, can you take his weight?"

"Got it."

Dave opened his mouth to query the room assignments when Emily moved quickly down the hall as the door opened and the plaintive cries from inside the suite became even louder as Kevin stepped out the door with the child in his arms. Dave gaped as he looked at Kevin and Kevin gaped right back at the group making their slow way toward him but quickly handed the crying baby over.

"I didn't know what was wrong but she just kept crying and since Pen isn't moving along very fast now I was tasked to try to comfort her. I'm afraid I wasn't very good at the comfort party."

"Not your fault; it's been a very long 48 hours, hasn't it sweetheart." Tammy stopped crying the second her little arms wrapped around Emily's neck. Emily pressed a light kiss to her forehead and continued to murmur to her as she turned. Reid had taken over supporting Dave since Austin had the baby.

"Looks like all the gang's here now."

Emily nodded. "Do you mind if we all come in for now? Hotch has lost a chunk of his arm to a bullet and Dave's got a really badly sprained ankle that may or may not be broken in addition to a sore back."

"Of course. If you're right here though I'll return to Pen's side. I really don't want to miss the birth of my first child."

She shooed him off and gestured the rest of the group into the large living area. Katie was curled in the corner of the couch watching her with huge eyes and tears rolling down her cheeks. When she realised Emily had spotted her she wailed and threw her small body off the couch and at her mother. Emily staggered just slightly but held her place as she crouched down to cuddle the girl. As soon as everyone was in the room, she let the door shut and turned to the room's occupants.

Hotch and Dave had settled onto one couch. JJ was just coming back from the direction of the bathroom and was settling on a single chair with her little girl in her arms; even as she watched them, they both fell into a sound asleep. Reid, Austin, Will and Henry stood behind the second couch and watched everything going on. A sudden scream followed by cursing and threats made everyone jump and brought all eyes in the direction of the hall. JJ started awake and rubbed her tired eyes. "Is it just me or did that sound like Garcia?"

"She's scary mama."

Emily grinned at Katie as she sat on the edge of the spare couch. "Our teams honorary aunt is about to become a mother for the first time."

Caitlyn's voice floated from the bedroom. "I urgently need a pair of hands in here."

Emily's grin faded and she sighed. "Okay babies, mama needs to go help Miss Caitlyn."

Katie whimpered and upon hearing that noise, Tammy started crying again. Will offered to take the little one and follow her so she could still see Emily. Once Will had Tammy in hand, Emily scooped Katie up, walked across the room and deposited the girl in Dave's lap. Dave stared at her like she'd grown a second head before looking at Katie and blinking slowly as he lifted a hand to stroke her hair gently. She then crouched down and gently shifted several strands of sweaty black hair back from her cheek.

"Baby, do you remember the photos by my bed?" Once Katie had nodded, Emily smiled and gently turned her daughter around. "Katie, meet daddy. Dave, meet Katie." She placed a light kiss on the top of her head, a hot, open-mouthed kiss on Dave's lips and then sauntered out of the room, leaving behind a group of stunned people. Even Will was too stunned to follow but since Katie had stopped crying, Tammy stopped crying too.

"Well damn," Aaron muttered as Katie and Dave studied each other curiously.

Dave smiled suddenly as he gently cupped his daughter's cheek and wiped away a few stray tears. "You are so beautiful, just like your mother."

Katie sniffled, wiggled forward in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, placed her head on his chest and sighed softly.

And Dave fell utterly and irrevocably in love for only the second time in his life.

New Section-

"How's it going in here?"

Caitlyn sat back and smiled tiredly. "I think he might just pull through but I need to stitch his wound closed again now that I'm certain I've got everything out and it's been properly irrigated. Can you hold a bright light directly overhead for me?" Emily did this easily as fascination wound through her to watch thread close the open wound. She then watched as Caitlyn bandaged the wound and effortlessly wrapped a bandage around his waist for added support. "There, all done for the night. He seems pretty tenacious and I know Carrie was happier to know he'd woken up for a minute. When she returned to Pen, she was humming happily."

"And how is Penelope?"

Caitlyn grinned. "Last time I asked Carrie that, she mentioned the usual threats and something about making sure there are no sharp implements about for use in the act of castration. I thought I might head back this way after she said that."

Emily grinned. "I think I terrified the poor male nurse who held my hand through my first labour. Not only did I scream constant abuse at him, but I threatened all male-kind with a permanent loss of their equipment and I somehow cracked two bones in his hand. I did put in a glowing report on him on my way out, but I wouldn't be surprised if the boy changed specialties."

Caitlyn laughed. "I'll make sure Aaron is close at hand when I have our second son in about four months. Do you think you could do me another favour and rustle up a couple of guys to support Derek while I change the bedding?"

Emily nodded and moved to the door. "Reid, Will, could we borrow you both for a couple of minutes?"

Reid and Will arrived a few seconds later and they lifted Derek up and moved out of the way. Caitlyn had found the necessary bedding and Emily helped get the bed changed in record time. Reid and Will headed back to the living room and the women stayed behind to talk while Caitlyn checked Derek over again one last time for the night.

When Caitlyn was certain Derek was adequately settled for the night, they went to check on Penelope, who was catching five minutes of sleep in a lull. Walking back into the living area, they found Tammy had been placed on the chair JJ had briefly occupied with a blanket and a pillow snugging her in to the back so she couldn't roll off. Jack was stretched out on the couch and sound asleep, also with a blanket. Will, JJ, Reid and Austin had disappeared with their children. Aaron and Dave sat silently on the couch as if they hadn't moved, but Katie had draped herself all over the older man and was snoring softly.

Emily smiled as she stopped in front of them. "Where is a camera when you need it?"

Katie stirred slightly at the sound of her voice but sighed in soft contentment as Dave stroked her hair. "There will be plenty of time for photos at a later date. For now I just want painkillers for my back and ankle and you under me. Or maybe over me would be the better option the way my back is cursing at me right now."

"Overshare," Aaron muttered, then yelped as Caitlyn doused his arm in antibacterial fluids in preparation for stitching.

Katie, Jack and Tammy started awake at the noise and looked around blearily. Emily walked to Tammy and soothed the baby back to sleep as she softly reassured Jack that his father was going to be fine. The boy nodded and went back to sleep and when she turned back to Katie she found the child was already sleeping again.

Caitlyn scolded Aaron for being a baby and finished stitching his arm and sent him off with Emily to get the area cleaned up before she bandaged it. She turned to Dave and smiled gently as she introduced herself.

"Back and ankle, if I remember correctly. What happened exactly?"

"I had to throw myself backwards into a stairwell to avoid the flying bullets. Twisted my back the wrong way as I fell and missed a step the hard way as I stood to run after my tumble. I kept forgetting I wasn't a young stud anymore."

Caitlyn smiled in amusement. "Easy enough to sort out. I'll give you a couple of painkillers now, then I'll check your ankle for broken bones and set it if need be; otherwise I'll just strap it. For your back I'll get you on the ground on your stomach and I'll massage the muscles into submission."

"Is that last something Emily could do for me?"

Caitlyn laughed. "I'm afraid to say you're stuck with me."

With no broken bones his ankle was neatly strapped. Emily took Katie back while Caitlyn bandaged Aaron's arm then she turned and dealt with Dave's back.

"I don't recommend lifting anything heavier than a kilo for the next 48 hours and while I know your male pride will baulk at asking for help, if you don't you could end up with permanent damage."

Dave opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Kevin. "Caitlyn, Carrie says this is it and do you mind backing her up?"

Kevin bolted back the way he'd come and the adults followed. Penelope was bearing down hard, a silent scream obvious on her exhausted face. Dave and Aaron took one look into the room and turned around quickly. Emily snorted softly at their actions and set a now-awake Katie on the ground and moved forward to offer additional support to Penelope and Kevin.

As Penelope continued to follow Carrie's instructions, the women exchanged amused smiles as Katie peppered the men in the doorway with questions about baby's and childbirth. Emily made a mental note to sit down with Katie and correct some of the misconceptions Dave and her former boss were sowing in her little girls' mind as she quietly encouraged Penelope.

15 minutes later, Penelope's silent scream found voice again for a long minute before she finally collapsed back against Kevin and her child started to proclaim the indignities of being thrust from a warm, watery world into one that was cold and noisy.

Carrie laughed joyously. "You have a little girl. A beautiful, perfect little girl." She held the baby up as Emily eased back to give Kevin and Penelope a semblance of privacy. Remembering where Caitlyn had found the bedding, she collected some clean things and returned to wait for a moment that would be appropriate.

"I'm curious about something."

Emily didn't turn her eyes from the scene going on in the room as she said quietly, "I was in labour for 39 excruciating hours. Drugs didn't work for me _at all_ and by the end of it the doctor was thinking he might have to send me up for a caesarean because I was so weary when Katie just decided to stop being obstinate and make her appearance."

"What's ob...obst...what's that funny word mean mummy?"

"It's pronounced obstinate baby and it means a stubborn refusal to change an opinion or action. You my lovely did _not_ want to change a thing about your environment at the time and was strongly opposing all attempts from the outside to do so."

"Oh. But you still loved me, right mummy? You said you did like WHAM!, right between the eyes when you first saw me. Even though I was that stubborn word?"

"Most definitely _despite_ your _obstinacy_."

Katie beamed at her and nodded once firmly as Hotch and Dave chuckled before moving in to see the baby.

"Who comforted you while you struggled to give our daughter life?"

Emily smiled just slightly as she kept an eye on the topic of conversation. "For a while I entertained thoughts about all the ways I could have told you I was expecting and how my pregnancy would have advanced if you'd been there throughout it. Then when the pain and exhaustion started to become too much, I started to plot how I could kill you for inflicting this on me and then being absent when the chips were down. In the end, they sent a young trainee obstetrics nurse named Ken in to me. His only job was to hold my hand, comfort me with words no matter _what_ I said to him and to blot my brow with a cool damp cloth.

"Despite the bones I cracked in his hand and the curses I heaped upon him and his family, he never shouted at me, never ceased to wipe my face and he never tried to retrieve his hand. I seriously doubt whether he stayed with that specialty but if he had, I'd be requesting him in a heartbeat if I was ever back there again."

"And the little girl out there on the couch?"

Emily's smile turned sad. "Did they tell you why they were moving you two years ago?" When Dave shook his head, Emily sighed. "Someone leaked my location and I had a dozen bad guys land on my doorstep. They tied Katie up to a bed, gagged her and gave her over to one of the guys who liked little girls."

"Is that man still alive?"

Emily tore her gaze from Katie and took in the fury on Dave's face which mirrored the coldness of his voice. She lifted a hand and pressed it to his cheek. "No my love; when the cavalry arrived to rescue me, I slipped the paramedics and my keeper just long enough to get my hands on a gun. I shot him first in the groin and watched him suffer until agents burst through the door at my back and then I shot him in the head. Shortest minute of that 24 hour period, I'm sorry to say."

Dave relaxed not a millimetre. "And you?"

She flicked a look at Hotch and shook her head just slightly. "If as my boss Hotch must read or be privy to what happened to me I won't be the one telling him. Ask me again when we are alone and I'll go into more detail then what I glossed over before. Let's just say for now that Tammy was not conceived willingly but is no less loved than her big sister."

"What of the man who raped you?"

"He is very dead as of just over 24 hours ago."

"You mean he found you and came for you again?"

"They found all of us," Kevin said as he approached, baby in his arms.

"How do you mean?" Hotch asked quietly.

"Pen said someone within the Marshal's office sent our details out; she thought she'd caught it with a virus and destroyed it, but they obviously have someone ubber-talented working for them to put it all back together. Does someone live in this town?"

"That would be me," Dave said.

"Then they'll know soon enough what went down here and they'll send more. We need to get away from here and disappear. Pen and I can easily redo everyone's identities and then it's just a matter of whether we stick together or split up again."

Emily shuddered. "Every time I get moved around I get found again and someone comes to harm me and mine and the times between the moving and the being found become shorter. I'd rather not go through that again if I can help it. There's also nothing anyone can say that will convince me to split up my family now that we are all together again."

Dave looked pleased as he added, "I'm thinking safety in numbers would be a good idea. Better protection for the children and backup for each of the adults. We always did work better as a team anyways. But even if everyone else would rather we split up again, I'm staying with Emily and my daughters."

Emily felt warmth and love explode in her heart as Dave's easy acceptance of not only Katie but Tammy as his children washed through her. She moved her body into his personal space and found no hesitation as he pulled her close as he'd always done when they were close enough for it.

Hotch nodded slowly. "I have to agree with that assessment. JJ, Reid and their families had been driving all day so they went to bed. We arranged to meet for a late breakfast at ten; we can easily discuss what we want to do then. We should have that much time at any rate and we should move on by midday no matter what we decide."

"I easily speak for both Pen and myself when I say we'll stick with the two of you," Kevin said looking at Dave and Emily. "We don't carry conventional weapons but we can easily wield our computer smarts for anyone needing to use us and this gives us the added protection of being around someone who _can_ protect us if necessary."

"So four of you with your kids definitely together and the rest of us to decide. I like the notion but I don't make my decisions on my own anymore so I'll wait to see what Caitlyn wants to do."

"Sorry to interrupt, but Pen is going to take a shower now that all is done with her labour. Carrie will assist her if you don't mind keeping Britney-Ann with you Kevin?"

"Not a problem."

"That's such a pretty name."

"Thanks."

"Emily, would you mind helping me to remake the bed?"

"Easy."

"Aaron, you should take Jack back to his bed and get some sleep. Try not to lift him with your bad arm if you can help it. I'll be there in a bit. Dave, you should also go lie down on your back and get your weight off your feet. I'm sure Aaron can tell you which room Emily is using. Katie is again out like a light, so if you want to take her back to bed first and come back, you can."

Half an hour later, Kevin and Penelope snuggled into bed with their gorgeous new daughter between them with pillows on either side so she couldn't roll over. The three women had pulled the single seat from the living room to the bedroom so Carrie could be comfortable as she watched over Derek having flat out refused to sleep in the other room. Emily and Caitlyn had returned to their suite to find all were sound asleep.

Emily sighed. "I'd forgotten what a bed hog he could be if he didn't fall asleep wrapped around me," she muttered as they stood in the doorway to her room.

Caitlyn grinned. "I can help you move the chair in here too if you'd like."

"Oh no. I will sleep in that bed with him. I might just need to wake him up first."

A gleam of sexual glee appeared in Emily's eyes so Caitlyn said goodnight and walked down to her room to claim her part of the bed. Aaron shifted around as she settled and lightly kissed her neck before slipping back into sleep. Mentally working out when she could seduce him again without causing his arm any further damage, she fell asleep as her head hit the pillow.

New Section-

"I'm not asleep you know. I'm just following doctors orders by keeping my back flat while I wait for you."

Emily grinned as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "Well that makes seducing you that much easier."

He cracked an eye open, then closed it again as he settled his linked hands more comfortably across his chest. "Seduction huh? Are you sure that's going to be helpful for my healing back?"

Emily slipped silently out of her jeans and folded them before placing them on the straight backed chair near the door. She slipped out of her top and did the same, then sauntered forward in her lacy red underwear. She stepped up onto the bed with ease as her heart began to race in anticipation but her voice was nonchalant as she assured him, "Well I don't have to seduce you tonight if you aren't up for it. We could just cuddle up to each other instead."

Dave cracked his eye open again and felt his breath hitch in his throat and his heart stop in his chest at the vision standing before him. In a husky, breathless voice he said, "Do you know, I think I read somewhere that sex releases endorphins which can block pain. With my painkillers wearing off already, I can't help but think sex right now could only be a good thing. Seduce away."

Emily smiled. "I knew you'd see things my way."

She slipped to her knees straddling his thighs and murmured softly, "Just be honest if it becomes too much. I want you back in the peak of health soonest; you know there is only so much gentle loving we can stand before we need it hot, fast and heavy between us and I _know_ it has been too long to be able to control myself for much longer."

Dave nodded as he lifted his hands. One hand fisted in her hair and tugged her closer while the other cupped one deliciously heavy and full breast and squeezed lightly. Emily sighed with longing and murmured encouragement as their mouths met in a tangle of lips, teeth and tongues. The years fell away between them and their hunger exploded in soft snarls, sighs, whimpers and more as their hands went crazy. While Dave happily allowed his hands to become reacquainted with the most perfect set of breasts he'd ever had the pleasure to know, Emily set to work getting him out of his shirt and gaining access to his chest.

She tossed his shirt over her shoulder and shook her hair out of the way as Dave removed her bra and tugged her back to him. His mouth took a perfect nipple into it's warm, moist heat and suckled hard and fast, drawing ever more of her in as he increased the pressure. He kept a hand at Emily's back to keep her close as she arched into him with a whimper and wriggled in his arms while his other hand slipped into the back of her panties and cupped her delicious ass, pressing her more intimately to his jeans-covered arousal. Turning his attention to her other breast he felt Emily grind herself on him in such a way that he had to stop them there.

"Baby, baby, baby; what you do to me. It's been five years and my control is shot to pieces. If you keep up with that, it'll all be over before it begins."

"Let it be then. Fast and furious now while I ride you and slow and reacquainting later once we've recovered. We have all the time in the world now to get it right."

He stared up into her eyes and felt such a depth of longing and love sweep through him that he knew she would see it because there was no way he could hide it. He saw the second she realised, watched as tears welled up and slipped down her cheeks and pulled her down and into his arms as she started to sob. Sex had ceased to be the goal and suddenly all he wanted in that moment was just to hold and comfort.

"Do you know how hard it was to watch them put you in a vehicle and know that I might never get to see you again? I actually felt my heart shatter in that moment. Every wall you'd painstakingly pulled down and destroyed over the years making me a better man went straight back up and I honestly thought I'd never be able to draw a full breath again. To never hold you, wake up beside you, share a meal or a conversation with you, to work with you or see you smile or hear you laugh; having all of that suddenly taken away from me made me feel like I was dying. I realised suddenly that I didn't tell you how I felt often enough for my liking; like I took you for granted. I hated that."

Emily pulled back enough that he could gently wipe the tears from her cheeks as she searched his eyes and realised he believed every word he'd spoken. "I never felt taken for granted and I always knew how you felt about me. It was in everything you did. Listening to me when I needed to thrash something out and choosing to work with me before any of the others. The little touches like a hug or a brush of your hand when I was having a bad day, the smile you reserved just for me and that light you'd get in your eyes sometimes when I just _knew_ you were thinking of the last time we were together. Getting the door for me, and the bill when I couldn't beat you to it. The compliments and the encouragements. The kisses were when I knew the clearest how you felt because I always somehow felt as if I lost a little more of my heart to you in those moments. I never felt cheated though because I always felt like I gained a little bit of your heart too in that moment when we connected and the world fell away."

He tugged her head down gently and they kissed anew as their broken hearts mended in the love each of them could feel flowing from the other. As had happened many, many times in the past, the kissing seamlessly became something more as their hands remembered what time may have dimmed. The rest of their clothing disappeared and what might have been fast and furious another night became gentle and tender as they connected in every way.

Emily sobbed with relief as Dave slid slowly into her as she sank onto him. The fullness of the feeling was a joy as their hands linked. She leaned into him and kissed him tenderly before she pulled back and found a rhythm as old as time, squeezing him with the inner muscles of her core as he moved in and out of her according to her whim.

David Rossi figured he'd died and gone to heaven such was the sensation of being back within the warm, moist heat that was Emily's inner core. He'd all but forgotten how very tight she was and that the friction this caused only heightened what was already explosive. As she slipped into a rhythm on him that caused her delightful breasts to bounce and sway and brought a soft purr to her lips that somehow vibrated down the length of him bringing even greater ecstasy, he could feel what little control he had being shredded. Slow and tender was fast becoming a pace he wanted to leave in the dust.

He squeezed Emily's hands, bringing her glazed eyes open and on him as she tried to focus. "Pick up the pace baby, you're killing me here."

She smiled in a pleased way that somehow made him swell all the more where he resided within her heat and with a quick flex of her thighs and twist of her upper body she pulled up and slammed down hard and fast, impaling her body in such a way that she almost lost it right then, causing both of them to cry out at the rightness of the sensations washing around and through them. She sped things up considerably as she leaned in for another drugging kiss and then out of nowhere her orgasm lifted them both up and tossed them off the edge of the precipice. She managed another pump that increased the pressure and then Dave exploded within her, his ejaculation causing her to come again. Their screams and moans caught in the kiss to ensure they woke no one with their renewed intimacy.

Long minutes passed as they rested against each other. Their breathing gradually eased and shivering set in as the cold intruded on the cooling sweat on their still joined bodies.

Emily slipped off Dave reluctantly and shifted the bedding up and around them. He shifted onto his side and tugged her in close and she turned in to him, resting her head on his pillow so that they were face to face.

"I'm glad we found each other again. I love you David Rossi."

"No gladder than I am to be back here with you. I love you Emily Prentiss and more than anything I regretted, was that I never proposed to you like I planned to. Unless my apartment was ransacked, I still have the ring I bought five years ago. The question now is, will you marry me?"

End-

**A/N: Wow! A proposal. I honestly didn't see that coming. Like I said, these guys are writing the story, not me. They obviously like to keep things in suspense.**

**I am feeling called to write a couple of other stories in amongst this one, so it might be a little bit before I come back to this one but I promise that I will have the answer to the proposal, and to what I am sure everyone would like to know how our fearless warriors ended up in WPP, within the next couple of weeks.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Notes are at the end of the chapter.**

**WARNING: This chapter includes some violence and adult themes that may be unsuitable for younger readers.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 5

Derek Morgan woke with his side on fire. He vaguely remembered saying "I do" and being told he could kiss his bride. Then he remembered screaming and pain and a gorgeous blonde who seemed somewhat familiar in his muddled mind and then blissfully soft darkness. Wherever he was now, he knew he'd never been there before, but that was alright because he'd just seen the one woman guaranteed to ensure his world was still spinning the right way round.

His gorgeous wife was sound asleep in what appeared to be a marginally comfy chair. Her knees were pressed up against her chest and her head rested against a cushion, her straight dark brown hair still showing a touch of curl from the event that had changed his life forever. Her skin no longer sparkled, but looked clean and soft and what he wouldn't give to have her in his arms so he could feel that softness again.

He must have made a noise because she stirred slowly and opened her stunning green eyes as she yawned and stretched out her legs. Despite his pain, he felt his body respond to her beauty and hoping to get her off the chair and into the bed with him, he said softly, "Hey beautiful."

Her eyes flew all the way open and focused on him and she beamed with pleasure as she bounced over. "Hey you, I thought you'd never wake up. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, fuzzy and hard in that order. I need the fire department for my side, an explanation for my forgetful head and a shower for my sticky body and you to help me deal with the hard-on I always get from watching you go from fast asleep to sleepily awake. Not necessarily in that order. Actually, I take that back; _definitely_ not in that order."

Carrie laughed softly and climbed up onto the bed. "Sounds like you're feeling much better. I'll help you deal with your body condition first because that appeals to me, then I'll get you a couple of painkillers and help you wash up while I explain what happened."

"Hmm. I have to say I love your priorities Mrs Monahan."

Carrie was about to correct him and tell him she knew she was really Mrs Morgan when he pulled her down and kissed her and everything but the feel of his mouth under hers fled her mind.

New Section-

It was four in the morning and while the town of Vail slept on, a couple in love made their way back to the resort where they were staying.

Emily hadn't been able to sleep after being assured that yes, she was the one and no, there would be no others. She'd taken a moment to think about the answer considering the craziness that presently surrounded them and then decided there was no time better for stability and hope for the future. She'd turned to him to say yes and very nearly fallen off the bed she was laughing so hard when she found the long day had caught up with her lover.

She'd calmed down and watched him sleep until she couldn't bear it any longer before waking him up and telling him yes, she'd be proud to be his wife. No longer asleep, he'd pulled her to him and they'd celebrated in the best way possible. When he would have settled them both back to sleep, she'd insisted she wanted the ring immediately and they'd only be about half an hour tops before he could get more sleep if he really wanted it.

He'd labelled her a temptress, had his way with her again and acquiesced to her wishes. With the children likely to sleep past normal waking hours due to the overwhelming events of the night before, they'd hurried into town. They'd found his apartment ransacked but deserted and with nothing stolen, he'd quickly retrieved the ring and settled the gorgeous diamond and emerald cluster on her finger. The kissing had taken up a good deal of time but they'd remembered themselves enough to know they had to get back and now they drove back into the parking lot.

Emily parked the car in the spot she'd had it in previously and turned to Dave with a grin. "You do realise that I am going to want to be married soonest. I've spent five years pining over your disappearance from my life and I don't want to waste another moment."

"Let's make sure we make it out of town alive first and then we can talk about the wedding."

When she opened her mouth to object, he effectively shut her up by kissing her senseless. By the time he pulled back from her delectable mouth, she whimpered a protest and tried to get him to come back.

"Let's take this upstairs sweetheart; I don't think making out in a car would be good for my back."

She nodded eagerly and reached for the door handle. Shadowy figures moving along the wrap-around veranda looking for an opening made her go still.

"You didn't by any chance grab one of the guns on the way out did you?"

He turned back to her. "No, why?"

She pointed to what she'd seen and his blood went cold. "The children are vulnerable and Hotch is unaware we are out of the room." They exchanged slightly panicked looks as they watched the six figures slip through an open window into the lodge.

Moving quietly they exited the car and followed to the front door. Emily pulled out her key card and used it to gain entry to the lobby. They quickly ducked behind the reception desk as the shadows became men and moved into the lift. Once the doors closed, they followed quickly via the stairs and prayed they wouldn't be too late.

New Section-

Austin hesitated in the bathroom doorway only a moment before moving forward to help JJ with her hair as she retched. A noise had woken her up from a light sleep and she'd immediately moved to check on Gideon only to find the baby was sound asleep and sucking his thumb. She'd gently removed the digit from his mouth and was tucking his small hand back under the blanket when the noise came again and she'd realised what it was. Looking back at the bed to see Spencer was sound asleep still, she'd eased out of the room and crept down to the bathroom, not wanting to wake anyone else. Finding JJ was the one making all the noise she'd thought about leaving the other woman in peace but her long hair was obviously causing her some trouble so she moved forward.

"I remember this part with little fondness. How far along are you?"

JJ started slightly, then sighed in relief as her hair was gently tied back out of the way and a cool cloth came to rest against the back of her neck.

"Thank you; that feels _so_ good. My doctor says I'm about 7 weeks along. Right now I wish like anything it was 12 so I could say goodbye to this blasted nausea."

"You have my deepest sympathies. I was ill with Gideon the entire 9 months right up to and including labour. Poor Spencer was beside himself the entire time. By the end he was certain I was going to leave him before I ever let him near me again. But we survived it and I'm sure we'll survive it again if it is ever required."

"I may never complain about a short 12 weeks of nausea again having just heard that. How did you survive?"

Austin smiled dreamily. "I kept myself distracted with many dreams about what the future would be like once our son was born and when things were at their worst I entertained a few death scenes involving Spencer as well. It helped though that he was so attentive and loving. If I needed anything at all, all I had to do was ask and he did all in his power to make it happen even going so far as an hour out of his way one night because I wanted a specific type of ice cream you couldn't actually get in town. He never once complained either that having just had the day from hell at school I wanted something challenging for him to acquire and that, on returning home he found I'd fallen into a deep sleep and didn't actually need the ice cream straight away. He simply went back to school the next morning with little to no sleep and not a single complaint. He really was a trooper."

"So Spencer is a teacher?"

"Yes; high school science. He's one of those teachers children are mostly going to remember with fondness because he relates to them at their level and he makes things fun for them."

"And what about you? How is it you and Spence met?"

Austin was about to reply when JJ threw herself back over the toilet bowl and for a few minutes all that could be heard was the sound of someone miserable and a soft encouraging hum.

When JJ was once again leaning back against the bathtub, Austin handed her a glass of water and softly started to tell her story.

"We met in Atlanta on one of your cases. Spencer and one of your other teammates came to the club where I was working and Spencer gave me a picture of what your unsub looked like. He performed a couple of magic tricks with it and I was totally hooked. He told me to keep an eye out and if I saw someone who might meet the description I should give him a call. I almost ended up being his next victim but the team turned up to rescue me. I kept his number even after I moved across to Phoenix and when I ran into him again as Dillon Ridgewood I was stunned to find he was teaching and no longer with the FBI. He pretended not to know who I was but made it almost ridiculously easy for me to follow him home. He ordered takeout and we talked all night. He said he couldn't tell me what had happened but that his life depended on this huge new secret he had to keep and he didn't want to draw me into it. I was more than a little shocked but I'd liked him since Atlanta and hadn't been able to stop thinking about him even after I found his number was disconnected so I admitted to this and told him it didn't change how much I liked him. This stunned him but he stuck with me when I insisted, we fell in love and then by the time they had to move us, we'd already been married 2 and a half years. Since I wasn't linked to him in the WPP database, I got to keep my first name, they changed his to Sam Harper and we moved to Minnesota which is where we were when we realised we'd been made and it might be an idea to use Spring break as a chance to step back and see if we were truly in danger. Now that we are again, I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm glad everyone seems to be together; maybe this time things will turn out alright."

"It would be nice for a change. Henry and Lucy deserve to be settled somewhere without the threat of being in danger constantly hanging over their innocent heads."

"Same with Gideon. How are you feeling?"

JJ thought about it and smiled tiredly. "Much better. I think the nausea has passed for now. I'll rinse my mouth out, check in on the kids and go back to bed. Thanks for sitting with me and distracting me from my misery. It was a nice change to my usual norm."

"I'm glad I was able to help."

She waited to make sure JJ was truly alright before heading back to her room. Turning into the hall, she stopped as several shadows moved near the door. She stopped JJ silently and pointed and JJ frowned as she squinted.

"Your children are between them and us and we aren't armed at all," Austin breathed worriedly.

"We need Hotch, Emily or Dave," JJ breathed back. "They all had guns earlier."

"Will took the spare Emily had before he shepherded you in this direction."

They watched as the shadows coalesced into two people. They were running out of time.

New Section-

Derek's lips were at her throat and moving tantalisingly closer to her very aroused nipples when the sound of a door opening and closing from the direction of the front of the suite caught her attention. She pushed back from him and placed a hand over his mouth when he went to put it back where it had been.

"Listen," she whispered softly.

He went still, listening intently and there was only one thing that would make a noise like that; a shin impacting a table.

"Only Kevin, Caitlyn and I have key cards to these rooms." Derek looked at her in the dark with wide questioning eyes and she nodded as she lifted a hand to his cheek. "I _know_ Derek. They told me enough about what was happening for me to know what was what and it's okay. It doesn't change how much I love you and according to Witness Protection law, it doesn't change the fact that we are married. But bad guys are still after all of us and death will definitely change things so we need to figure out a way to make it out of here alive without a weapon being available to us."

A sudden scream made them both jump.

New Section-

"If they stay true to form, their guns are going to have silencers on them. Everyone will be dead with no one the wiser. But if we make noise before we're armed we'll be dead before we can help anyone. Any suggestions?"

Dave pushed the pain in his ankle to the back of his mind and concentrated on the issues at hand as they watched a couple of the group peel off from the rest and gain access to their suite of rooms. As soon as the door was shut, he eased out into the hall and followed, staying close to the wall. The rest of the group quickly ducked into the other suites without looking back and as soon as it was clear, they rushed down to their room.

"Go in low; with luck they won't see us or if they see the door they'll start shooting above our heads. Make straight for the bedroom and see if you can get to one of the guns. If they have bypassed the kids room, I'm going straight to the back for Hotch. If they haven't, pray I don't get shot while I tackle them."

Emily hated the plan but couldn't think of anything better so she quickly nodded agreement and followed through. The two already in the suite hadn't wasted time in the main room and though the door to the first bedroom was open, no one was in there that they could see as they went past. The door to the second bedroom was also open and they could see the two men looking everywhere in the room.

A scream coming from one of the nearby suites had the two men whipping around to face the door and caused Emily and Dave to jerk at the noise. The sound of silenced bullets caused them to duck back out of sight just as the door to the master bedroom opened and Hotch appeared down low with a gun.

"What's going on?" he hissed.

"Help us get rid of these guys and we'll go find out," Dave hissed back as another scream sounded followed closely by a gun going off.

New Section-

JJ watched as the two men paused at the door to the first bedroom and opened it. She was near hyperventilating as she watched them disappear and she wasn't even aware that a scream was building until it suddenly burst out of her throat and she shot forward in full attack mode. Forgotten was the knowledge that she was unarmed and not even dressed protectively; all she could think about was protecting her children. One of the figures appeared in the doorway and aimed a gun at her as she froze momentarily and reason returned.

"Shit."

New Section-

Carrie lunged for the door at the first scream and slipped the lock into place. Derek gestured her off to the side of the door and she moved quickly out of the way as someone tried to open the door.

Kevin's voice sounded from the next room as the baby started to cry.

"What's going on?"

"We don't know. Did you lock your door?" In a quieter voice to Carrie he asked softly, "Since when do they have a baby."

She shook her head and mouthed later as Kevin replied, "Yes, it's locked, but someone seems determined to get in. We're trapped in here."

Another scream sounded and a gun went off in the next suite and Penelope's loud sobs joined those of her daughter as someone tried to kick their way in through the solid oak.

New Section-

Austin had known fear before. Fear for herself in those moments when Robert Parker had her bound and gagged and came at her with the knife. Fear for her husband the last time the agent from the WPP came to move them stating they were in danger. Fear more recently for her family that the enemy may have found them again and they might very well end up being on their own with no support. And now fear for the woman who had become a friend on a cold bathroom floor.

In the past that fear had been paralysing; tonight it was not. Austin ducked low and burst out of the bathroom as the dark man lifted his gun at JJ's head. She tackled JJ hard, taking them both to the floor as she screamed for help. Just as they hit the floor, a gun went off and the man in the children's room fell to the ground in a heap. Will almost shot Reid as he burst out of his room but recognised the tall, younger man just at the last second.

"There's another one in there," Austin said over JJ's cries, pointing at the room where the children were. Will didn't hesitate as he moved forward. Reid knelt by the women and pulled them both into his arms as someone banged at the door.

As one they turned to look at it just as Dave shouted, "Let me in guys, I have a gun."

Reid moved to do just that when two gunshots sounded in the suite next door and another gun sounded in the room where the children were, causing both to start crying hysterically and the women to scream again.

New Section-

Caitlyn had handed over her card to the next room without hesitation and moved to quickly pack up the suite. Someone would call the cops for sure and they needed to be gone before they arrived. Dave, Hotch and Emily left the suite and split up. Dave went down the hall following the sounds of the shots already fired. Hotch used the spare card to open the door to the middle suite and Emily burst through the door with her gun up and ready to be used.

Two men turned quickly in the hall but lost their balance as both were trying to kick down the obviously locked doors in front of them. Emily's bullet caught her target in the head and spun him round as he fell. Hotch's shot got his guy in the shoulder and moving forward rapidly he quickly tackled the other man to the ground. If they could keep even one of these attackers alive, he knew he could gain some answers for them all.

Emily followed him and provided backup as he kicked the other gun away and crouched down low.

"Who are you and who is it that wants us all dead so badly?"

The man just stared up at them in mutinous silence as they continued to bombard him with questions. After several minutes had passed where they couldn't get him to speak, Hotch shook his head.

"I can't get him to speak. We should tie him up and leave him."

"You do realise if we do that it's just one more person we leave at our backs to come after us?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Emily nodded and smiled. "Leave it to me; I know the perfect use for him. We need to get everyone moving."

Hotch nodded and knocked on the Lynch's door as Emily dragged her prey back to the living room and into the kitchen.

Kevin opened the door cautiously and looked around. "We heard what you said. Penelope's packing what little we had time to pack but we are short a baby carrier so we may have issues there."

"I'll think on it while I get everyone else moving."

He moved to the other door and found it already open. Derek sat on the bed and watched as Carrie packed up their gear. His hand was on his side and he was obviously in pain as he turned to look at Hotch.

"I seriously thought I was hearing things when I first heard you and Emily start to speak but Carrie assures me everyone is here."

"We are, but not for much longer. Carrie, any ideas on equipment we can utilise temporarily for moving a newborn?"

Carrie shook her head. "If it weren't life or death I'd be recommending not moving her at all. She might be better off if Penelope just holds her close while she's wrapped up tight in her blanket. We are sharing the same car, so I can keep a close eye on her but I don't like it at all."

"I know, but as you said, it is life or death."

He walked back to the living area and into the lighted kitchen to find Emily had tied up their prisoner and wrapped his bleeding shoulder in a tea towel. He also noted the man had a growing bruise on the side of his head and was unconscious. Emily was currently writing on a notepad.

"I'm not sure I want to know what your plans are but I think I do need to know."

Emily grinned. "It's easy sir. We dump him on the doorstep of the nearest Marshal's office with a note I'm writing which explains what little we know about him, what he did, what the others did and about us being in the wind and that we _might_ be in contact in the near future with Agent Firstein _if_ we can ascertain that we will be safe while we do it. I didn't want him conscious while we moved him so I knocked him out. Simple and effective."

Hotch nodded approval and moved next door. Dave had obviously passed on the message about packing up as a pile of luggage was growing near the door. As he watched, Austin approached with her son in her arms and a painful looking knot on her forehead.

"Are you alright?" he asked her in concern as she eased herself down onto the couch.

She smiled tiredly. "Never better," she lied. "Honestly, it's nothing much. I tackled JJ out of the way of a man with a gun and hit my head on the edge of the couch as we went down. I didn't even lose consciousness."

"I'll get my wife to look at your head for you anyway just in case."

She nodded and settled back with a soft sigh. "So much for catching up on some sleep."

Hotch nodded agreement and went to see where help might be needed. JJ's kids had their stuff all packed up when he looked into that room. Looking into the second room, he found Dave helping Reid in gathering the last of their stuff so he moved on to the back room. Will was holding JJ as she cried but gestured to the suitcases near the door.

"We're all ready to go; we're just taking a minute while we wait for everyone else."

Hotch left them and moved back to his suite. Caitlyn had everything ready to go and though Emily's girls looked frightened, they were calm as they 'helped'.

He returned to Emily to find she was trying to move the unconscious man on her own. He quickly moved to help her and they rapidly got him down to the car and loaded in a corner of the boot. Emily covered him completely with a blanket and they raced back upstairs. Caitlyn saw them enter the suite and went to help Carrie with Derek as Emily and Hotch urged their children out of the suite with the bags and down to the car.

Carrie looked up in relief as Caitlyn ran in. "Thank goodness you're here. I think Derek's pulled his stitches back open."

Caitlyn hurried to crouch beside him and moved to unbandage him when his hands caught hers.

"No offense lady, but I've been shot at and I don't have a clue who you are."

"No offense taken. My name is Caitlyn Hotchner and I'm a doctor. I got the second bullet out of you and stitched you up a few hours ago. I need to see if you've torn your stitches of if you are just leaking a bit of blood because one of them is loose. Is that okay?"

He moved his hands from hers with a slight nod and watched as she exposed his wound. Her fingers were gentle as she probed but a sharp curse still escaped his lips.

"Sorry; I'll get you something for that in a minute. It doesn't look like they've torn open, but a couple of them are loose. I'll restitch them quickly and then we'll have to go. Are you both ready?"

Carrie nodded and rushed to grab the necessary equipment. As Caitlyn set to work, Penelope poked her head around the door.

"Hey, you're awake and looking alert. This is exciting stuff."

"Hey baby girl. I didn't dream you, obviously, but what are you doing with a baby in your arms?"

She smirked. "Shall I explain to you about special kisses as my mother once explained it to me?"

Caitlyn smothered laughter and Carrie outright giggled as Derek went red and muttered a never mind.

Penelope smiled gently and moved closer. "This is Britney-Ann Lynch and for her first few hours on this earth they are certainly exciting ones."

Derek admired the baby while Caitlyn bandaged him back up and found painkillers for him. The two women moved in on either side and supported him as he stood and made his slow way to the door. Hotch reappeared and grabbed their bags, passing them quickly as they made steady progress out of the suite. They could see Reid and Austin at the lifts already and as they moved down the hall, JJ and Will's kids passed them proudly carrying their own bags.

"Wow; we really did all find each other. But how did they find us?"

"Someone within the Marshal's office tipped the bad guys off and they came for all of us. The only reason they came here was because Dave Rossi lived here and then I guess once the guys Emily offed didn't check in they sent more to investigate and they found us again. We were going to discuss what to do in the morning but that time has come sooner than we thought."

Penelope entered the lift with them and they went down to the bottom floor where Hotch was waiting.

"You were the last ones out, so I hope you have everything because we are leaving as soon as you are all loaded."

"Where are we going?" Caitlyn asked as Hotch moved in to her place at Derek's side, easing his weight from her shoulders and considerably lightening Carrie's burden too.

"Emily says for now we just drive for a few hours and put distance between this place and us. We need to make a stop in at the Marshal's office in Grand Junction and then she thought perhaps if we slipped into New Mexico and rested up in Santa Fe for a day or too while we figure out what to do. We all need to exchange emails and phone numbers too in case we get separated accidentally."

Five minutes later, Emily slipped in behind the wheel of her car and checked her passengers. Despite the fear all three children were strapped in on the back seat and sound asleep. Hotch and Caitlyn had the middle seat and Dave was ready to go in the passenger seat.

"Reid and Austin are our rear car; they'll keep an eye out for anyone following us. Carrie is driving, so Kevin and Penelope will take turns throughout the day sorting out our identities and making them authentic. If you have specific names in mind, she's taking requests but do it quickly. We'll stop when we reach Grand Junction and stretch our legs before we dump our unwanted passenger. We'll change drivers and we'll keep going another hour before we stop for breakfast. After that we'll split the last three hours in half with another stop to stretch our legs and hopefully be checking in by lunch time."

New Section-

The sun had set in Santa Fe by the time the former FBI's Behavioural Analyses Unit got a chance to sit down and talk. Once they were on the road, the day had been mostly uneventful but longer than necessary due to a long detour set in place around some localised flooding. The necessary stop for lunch at Wal-Mart had allowed them to top up on needed supplies and given them a chance to properly assess their options. They'd all agreed Santa Fe was the place to stop for the night and rest and that in the morning they'd look at moving on, either together or separately, depending on what happened with the conversation when they stopped moving.

The large, family friendly, high-security hotel they'd chosen had provided them with two suites of rooms with a connecting door in between. One of the suites had three bedrooms, the other had four, each with an ensuite in the master bedroom, main bathroom, kitchenette and large living area with a dining table off to the side that could be pulled out.

Because they were supposed to be on their honeymoon, Penelope and Austin (who had bonded together over their adoration of their babies) insisted Derek and Carrie have the master bedroom in the three-room suite; after looking sternly at their husbands, both men agreed with them quickly and Derek and Carrie submitted gracefully. Penelope and Kevin took the double room and Reid and Austin took the twin room.

The families took the four-room suite. Sleeping arrangements weren't so easily settled here, much to the amusement of the other three couples who watched the debate with delight.

Emily and Dave insisted either Hotch or Will take the master bedroom since their wives were pregnant. JJ piped up that at least she'd been with her husband recently enough to _get_ pregnant so Emily and Dave should have the room so they could reconnect physically. Dave asked her in a droll tone why she thought they hadn't already and JJ went bright red. Caitlyn stepped forward with a hand on her lower back and said she agreed with JJ; Emily pointed out that she was rubbing her back and from experience, the discomfort of being pregnant required a decent bed to sleep on. And on and on the debate went.

Once they'd been arguing for about 15 minutes, Kevin wrote each couples' names on a piece of paper and announced that Penelope would decide who was sleeping where so they could do what they needed to do and get to the rest they all really wanted. Because this was agreeable to everyone, Penelope decided where they would sleep.

Emily and Dave got the master room, though Emily muttered that it didn't seem right as she went to move her suitcase. Caitlyn and Aaron were given the double room and JJ and Will took the twin. The kids were all going to share the fourth room, which had three single beds in it. Katie, Henry and Jack were given the beds, Will set up the port-a-cot they'd purchased at lunchtime and Dave watched as Emily set up Tammy's cot so he could do it next time.

Now the children were all in bed and the adults were spread comfortably around the living suite. Penelope and Austin shared a couch as they fed their babies, their husbands seemingly content to sit on the floor at their feet as everyone else found a seat, even going so far as to move an additional couch from the other one to here so everyone was comfortable.

"I have a question before we begin," Derek said from where he sat on one of the couches. "Who here actually knew Dave and Emily were an item?"

Everyone looked around but it was only Will who raised his hand. JJ shot her husband a look that promised retribution at a later date.

"I was with Henry at the grocery store and Dave had brought Emily out of their way for a specific type of ice cream you could only get at that particular store in DC. I walked into the frozen aisle and they were kissing. Otherwise I wouldn't have thought anything of them being together out of the office for I know they are good friends. They saw me and asked me to keep it a secret as they were trying to prove for a bit longer that their relationship would not affect their work. I thought this a reasonable request so I kept their secret. Then we got split up and it didn't seem that important anymore."

"So how long have you known?"

"Please don't be mad sugar. It really wasn't my secret to tell."

JJ didn't answer and Will sighed softly as he settled back in the chair. "I knew for about 7 months before everything happened. I didn't see them again in that capacity and we didn't ever discuss it again."

"Dave, did you know Emily was pregnant when we were separated?" Aaron asked quietly.

Dave shook his head and looked at Emily. She shrugged. "I didn't even know I was pregnant when we were separated. By the time I found out, I'd been settled in California and had just started my new job as a dance teacher."

"How long were the two of you together?"

"About a year and a half. The first time we ended up in bed together was a surprise to both of us after a particularly bad case. Soon after this, we took a weekend away and discussed at length how we were going to deal with being a couple when we worked so closely together and with all the fraternisation rules in place. I'd often tease him for breaking rules he'd firmly set in place back when he'd written the book on them and he'd always shrug and say he'd never truly been in love before."

"I had no clue."

"No one did, except for Will I think. We were very, very careful to keep professional fronts at work and to keep our private lives absolutely private. We didn't want to be gossip fodder at the office and we certainly didn't want to be split up within the team. We figured if we could go two years with everyone none the wiser around us we'd have a better chance of getting you on board with us when the director tried to move one of us elsewhere." She smiled sadly. "Then it became a moot point anyway."

"So what exactly happened?" Austin asked as she handed Gideon to Reid and settled her top back in place.

For long minutes, no one moved, no one spoke. No one wanted to put into words the horror they'd been privy to. It was Derek who finally spoke up.

"There is a lot we won't say out here, simply because it is better that it stay's between couples."

Austin shrugged. "I think I speak for all of us who didn't come from that time of your lives when I say I understand. We don't need all the gory details, not out here and what our partners say to us later is up to them and totally private. I'm signed up for this adventure no matter what and I have been since I married Dillon Ridgewood knowing he was Spencer Reid in disguise and in hiding for fear of his life. That didn't change when we became the Harper's and it won't change now. But we _are_ in imminent danger, as are our children and I think we at least deserve the Cliff Notes version so that we understand better where the danger is coming from."

Caitlyn and Carrie nodded agreement. Everyone looked at Aaron and he sighed.

"Why me?"

"Because you're Superman and you know everything?" Penelope asked, tongue in cheek.

He narrowed a look at her but she simply smiled placidly back at him.

He dropped his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. It was another minute before he started to speak and you could tell it was hard for him to know where to begin.

"Cliff Notes version for now. Derek and Reid can fill in what they do or don't choose to fill in at a later and more private time and what Emily and Dave choose to share between them is entirely their business.

"We went camping. I now don't recall who suggested it or even why and to be honest, I don't think I really care anymore. Jack was going to come with us but Jess and her family were going to Disneyworld that weekend and had invited Jack to go with them. When you're four, there is no tie between camping and Disneyworld; I was dumped faster than I could say 'it's your choice'. Because Henry was still young enough to travel and enter the park free, Jess offered to take the baby with them and I guess JJ and Will jumped at the chance to have an uninterrupted weekend spent together with no cases and no kids. I know once I saw that Jack was going to be alright without me present that I was thrilled to be having a child free weekend as well.

"We were supposed to be gone for only three days but in trying to find our chosen campground, we somehow took a wrong turn and ended up hiking a day in the opposite direction and not even realising it. The area we landed in seemed picturesque though and it had all the amenities we required so we figured we might as well camp there since by the time we went back and found the other place we'd have to be going back anyway.

"So we set up camp, had dinner and a really bad sing-a-long because Garcia insisted it was a must when one went camping with friends and family and went to bed."

"The sing-a-long wouldn't have been that bad if everyone had put more enthusiasm in it."

They all laughed at the indignant look on Garcia's face as Aaron continued. "I don't know about anyone else, but I wasn't aware of anything being wrong til I woke up in the cell."

"I remember waking and thinking I'd forgotten to call Jess on the satellite phone to see how Henry was doing, but I fell asleep almost as soon as I'd thought it. I remember there being a really odd smell in the air." Will took JJ's hand and squeezed it gently and she shifted closer, allowing him to put his arms around her as he gently kissed the top of her head.

"I woke in a concrete cell, completely naked and totally alone. I was hungry and thirsty and after looking around the cell, found there was a jug of water and some fruit. I think the gas they used to keep us unconscious affected my judgement because I drank the entire jug down and ate some of the fruit before falling asleep again."

"At least you had food and water, even if it was drugged. I was told if I wanted anything to eat or drink I needed to put out for it. If I didn't do as they wanted, I would be given to Troy to play with."

JJ and Garcia were nodding agreement as they looked at Emily in sympathy.

JJ continued. "I was so anxious to stay alive and find a way out of there so I could get back to Henry and make sure Will was alright that I might have agreed to anything when a man walked in and said I was the lucky one chosen to be first. When I asked what I was going to be first for, he just smiled in this creepy way and said you'll see. He walked me to a room where I was strapped to a bed. Then the room cleared out and a series of bright flashed went off. While I was still half blind, a woman came in with a needle and took an awful lot of blood and when I asked her if she'd let me go, she looked stunned at the thought. She suggested I wouldn't want to be let go of when I knew what glorious cause I was to be a part of so I thought what the hell and asked _her_ what was happening.

"She said they were in the process of creating the perfect human being. Someone with immortality; they wouldn't age, wouldn't get sick. If a bodily injury occurred they would be able to repair it and if a limb was chopped off they'd be able to regrow it. They would have super speed, strength and mental acuity and their senses would be heightened incredibly. This person would be used by the government to protect the people and bring about peace and an end to the disasters that plague us today throughout the world. It was an exciting look at what the future would be, she said and we were lucky enough to be selected to be a part of the process."

"I don't understand," Carrie said slowly. "There is no such thing as the perfect human being; it simply wouldn't be possible. How did they think they'd do it?"

Aaron took over again. "We found out after we'd been rescued that they'd spent years testing on animals with great success and as such had moved their gathered information and procedures into a person. That person died a pretty horrific death because animals aren't quite the same as humans; so they changed their test subjects and started again."

Caitlyn jerked round to stare at Aaron in abject horror, Carrie whimpered softly as she found Derek's hand and clung to it and Austin burst into tears as she moved to wrap her arms around Reid's shoulders. Reid handed Gideon to Kevin and tumbled Austin into his lap as he caught her close. Aaron and Derek pulled their wives close and held them as the shaking started.

"How long did they have you for?" Carrie asked when Austin's sobs eased to silent tears.

"Only four days, though to date, those are the longest four days of my life," Derek replied. "Jess returned from Disneyland and called to say the kids were ready to be picked up. When she couldn't reach either Hotch or JJ, she immediately went round to their places and saw they weren't home. She called work to see if maybe we'd all been called on a case to find Strauss, who was Hotch's boss, was looking for us as well because we hadn't shown up to work and it was more than unusual. When Jess explained what she knew, Strauss put out search teams and had analysts pull last known signals from the satellite phones. They arrived to find all our gear was still there but that there was no sign of us. She pulled in everyone to search and they eventually found the lab. They rescued us, but by then the damage had been done."

"I flat out refused to put out. They waited two days til I was too weak to fight and then they gave me to Troy who turned out to be a sexual sadist with a love for rape and torture and a delight in having brunettes pander to his every whim. They'd only just started with the testing on humans, so I didn't have to endure anything more there than x-rays, scans and having copious amounts of blood taken but when they weren't testing me I was kept in Troy's little playroom."

Dave hesitated as he opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, Emily turned on the couch and looked at him. "Katie was born perfectly healthy at 43 weeks; they had to induce me because she was so reluctant to make her entrance to the world. I'd been in witness protection as Millie McCormick for 33 weeks. The week before becoming Millie I was in a safe house. The week before that we were all recuperating in hospital and thinking everything was alright before the shit hit the fan and the week before that Troy had me and we were camping."

Dave nodded slowly as he did the math and pulled her into his arms. He ignored the group surrounding them as he kissed her tenderly. "I'm sorry I even thought it."

She smiled gently. "It's alright Dave. Katie is very much yours in every way and if you allow it and are comfortable with it, I will happily tell the world that Tammy is just as lucky as her adored big sister."

He rested his forehead against hers and smiled. "I love _every_ part of you, Tammy included. I would be honoured for the world to know she is mine."

"Oh I know I'm gonna cry. Does anyone have tissues?"

Reid found the box he'd pulled close for Austin and passed it up to Garcia who took several and dabbed at her eyes. Derek called for the box for Carrie, who was already bawling and held it out for JJ too. The box then made its way around the room, returning to the table in the centre of the room.

"So what happened after you were rescued?" Austin asked softly.

"We all spent several days in hospital, though Emily was in for longer because of her injuries. A combined taskforce of agencies had been chasing down the people responsible for what happened to us and for dismantling the lab and destroying its research. They unfortunately missed several of the key players, who were willing to do anything to stay free. One of them found Will out with Henry and shot them both. The only reason they are both still alive is because JJ was nearby and ran toward the shots with her gun drawn. She gunned down the man who had been waiting nearby in the hopes she would be about and called 911."

"They _shot_ a baby? In cold blood? Simply because he was with Will?" Carrie looked like she was going to be ill and Caitlyn suddenly bolted up from the couch and ran in the direction of the bathroom. The sound of retching reached the room just as JJ lost her battle with her memories and bolted for the master ensuite. Emily and Carrie pushed up at the same time, waved Aaron and Will back to their seats and left the room.

"After that, Strauss made the call to the US Marshal's Office and requested that we be placed in Witness Protection for our own safety. They had already been putting together a plan as they waited for just that request and although it wasn't ready, they were able to separate us all and put us in safe houses. Though the separating didn't happen quite as they'd planned it. JJ flat out refused to be separated from Will and Henry and Garcia said they could _try_ to separate her from Kevin, but she'd simply keep hacking the system til she found him again so they simply kept them together."

"Wish I'd thought of that," Dave muttered sourly and everyone smiled as some of the tension in the room eased.

"So you've been in Witness Protection ever since?" Austin asked. "What changed just now?"

"I got a call Friday morning asking me a whole lot of questions that led me to believe they were looking for a couple of former technical analysts and while I played dumb on the phone, I knew someone would be coming to find me before long. I called Kevin first to alert him to the danger and then I did what I do best. I hacked into the US Marshal's system and I fished around for our information. When I found it, I discovered someone else had already found it, copied it, and sent it out to a third party. I sent a virus to destroy it, but it must not have been completely successful."

"Well you tried, and to me, that is the main thing," Hotch said and the others nodded.

They all waited in silence as the women returned. Caitlyn still looked a little ill but assured Aaron both she and the baby were fine and JJ admitted she'd spent several minutes just watching Henry sleep and for her that had been enough to ground her back in the here and now.

"So what happens to us now?" Reid asked.

"Garcia has provided us all with new identities. Dave and I won't be separated again and are in fact engaged to be married. Garcia and Kevin have indicated they don't feel safe out on their own without weapons so the four of us will be staying together. You can choose to go back to living on your own or you can choose to join us."

"Wouldn't it make sense to stick together for added protection?" JJ asked.

"It would, but there is another issue to think about. What happens when a large group of people move in somewhere?"

"They get noticed," Dave said quietly, looking worried.

Derek nodded and everyone fell silent in thought.

"What if we pre-arranged something?"

Reid lightly stroked Austin's cheek and asked, "What do you mean honey?"

"Obviously it would be dumb to stay as a group this size. But what if we split up for a period of time and gradually moved to the one area over a period of months or a year. Pick an area in the states where there is a lot of growth going on so new families moving in won't be noticed out of hand. Then we can pretend to meet and we'd have that protection again."

The silence this time was energised.

"There is another thing we should consider and that is whether or not we tell the primary marshal on our case what is going on. Can we trust him to keep our new locations secret. I mean, I don't want to be hidden for the rest of my life. I want to be able to return to DC and even return to the FBI if they'd take me back."

There was a lot of agreement of that and more thoughtful thinking.

"Perhaps we should sleep on this and discuss it in the morning over breakfast," Kevin suggested. "We're all tired and not really thinking straight with too much happening all at once."

"Agreed," Hotch said calmly. "Let's meet here for breakfast at 9; we can order room service and renew the conversation then."

Liking this idea, everyone said goodnight to everyone else and they all returned to the rooms they'd chosen secure in the knowledge that they were safe, at least for that night anyway.

End-

**A/N: So now you know. Now **_**I**_** know; I was still tossing up what could have possibly happened to them even as I was writing it which is why it took so long to get this chapter out. That and I'm really getting into the other series I'm writing so I kept getting distracted.**

**Anyway, thanks to lolyncut who wrote several lovely reviews and asked so nicely for this update. I promised myself I wouldn't work on anything else til I at least had this chapter out and now here it is.**

**Hope you all had a great new year celebration and that all your dreams come true in 2011.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: My most sincere apologies for the length of time between this post and my last one. I got too caught up in life and writing my other Criminal Minds fanfic series and this one fell by the wayside. I totally understand if you have all dumped this piece, but I will finish it because I always finish stories I have started and will do my best to radically shorten the posting times in between chapters.**

**I would like to take a moment to thank the following people who have reviewed this story from the start: miaa29, MorganxGarcia, Anon, PrincessHotch, and lolyncut. I would also like to thank my anonymous reviewers for leaving a few words.**

**In order to make it easier for everyone to keep up with who is who, please refer to the following list of who everyone is now:**

**Aaron, Caitlyn & Jack Hotchner - Ben, Nicole & Sammie Woodcock **

**Emily, Dave, Katie & Tammy Rossi - Kaelin, Joseph, Megan & Chloe Renaldi **

**Derek & Carrie Morgan - Jon & Meredith Cussack**

**Spencer, Austin & Gideon Reid - Noah, Tamara & Luke Shaw**

**JJ, Will, Henry & Lucy LaMontagne - Kelly, Paul, Todd & Lacy Miller **

**Penelope, Kevin & Britney-Ann Lynch - Joy, Simon & Britney-Ann Tollan**

**I will also make it as easy as possible to follow by using their original names as much as possible, like when there is no one else around them and they can be themselves.**

**WARNING: This chapter includes adult themes and mild coarse language that may be unsuitable for younger readers.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 6

"Firstein?"

"Please Toby, tell me you found even one of them."

"The FBI team? No, unfortunately they appear to have disappeared off the face of the earth. I can however shed a little light on why they've run."

Greg rubbed a tired hand over his face and gestured the younger agent into the guest chair across the desk from him. He was exhausted after several days of trying to find the charges in his care…and failing miserably. Anything had to be better than that.

"Were you aware that the agent sent to keep a bodily eye on Derek Morgan was friends enough with him that they were living together?"

"I knew that Lucas Chalker and Derek Morgan were close friends even before all this happened but I didn't know they were living together. What of it?"

"Agent Chalker was drugged and left in a roadside motel in the middle of nowhere. He had been told that Derek and his new wife, as well as the couple that had picked them up were heading across to New Jersey but he seriously doubts that this is so and thinks they went in a completely different direction. He doesn't know which direction but suggested that we try where the other agents were located since they seemed to be trying to collect everyone before dropping off the grid. I have since confirmed that not one of them is where they were last placed."

"Shit! Can it get any worse?"

"Regrettably. Derek Morgan took a couple of bullets to the side before they were rescued and his new wife, who is a nurse and midwife, was certain that his condition wasn't good.

"Damn it all to hell. Okay, here's…"

"I'm not finished yet. All of the houses we'd placed the team in are showing signs of having been ransacked which means no one is safe to be placed at any of those locations since it could very well be their enemy using the leaked information."

"Crap!"

"In addition, the Marshall's office at Grand Junction received an unusual package yesterday. A man was dumped unconscious, gagged and tied up on their doorstep with a note attached to him. This is the note."

He took it and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this isn't an essay?"

"Agent Prentiss was being thorough."

Toby fell silent while he waited for Firstein to get through the long, detailed letter written by one of the most gorgeous women Toby had ever had the pleasure of seeing a picture of. Too bad with a couple of kids she was obviously taken.

He settled back and thought back to what he had read as he walked in this direction. He had taken the call from Grand Junction and requested that they fax the letter through and then sit on the information because there was a leak in the wind making things dicey for WPP's agents. Thankfully they hadn't questioned the fact that he wasn't a senior agent.

Agent Prentiss had detailed all that had happened to each of them individually and about what this man and his friends had tried to do to them particularly. She'd said they were taking themselves out of the program for the time being and that they _might_ be in contact with Greg Firstein in the future as he had been deemed a safe contact but this wasn't guaranteed. At the bottom of the note was an email address that they wouldn't be able to trace.

He watched as his mentor got to the end of the letter and then went back to the start again. Then he sighed tiredly.

"I suppose I can't blame them but I wish they'd spoken to me first. I could have helped."

Toby said hesitantly, "I'm guessing since they were FBI that they thought they had resources enough to deal with this on their own. Will you check out the email address to see if they've left you anything?"

Greg nodded and set about doing just that. After waiting a moment for the site to boot up, they crowded around the screen as he clicked on the single email waiting there for them.

_Agent Firstein,_

_I hope you can understand why we did what we did and that you will extend our sincerest apologies to Agent Chalker for our treatment of him. It was necessary for our survival._

_If you are reading this, you know what we are intending to do and now I can tell you that our plan is in place. Please don't try to trace us; between my husband and I you'll fail miserably and you may even get innocents killed as the enemy goes after them thinking they're us as you are tracked and redirected._

_We'll be keeping an eye on the situation and if you manage to apprehend the bad guys we'll be there in a heartbeat to testify against them. If you can't find them, then you won't ever see us again, though we would like to return to the FBI one day so please try your hardest._

_We know you are up against odds that are stacked against you, with leaks in your department and a bunch of men intent on their own self-interests. However, I should just point out that I know it isn't you and we still trust you to take care of what we can't. I shall continue to check out all of the agents in your jurisdiction to find said leak but until then, communication will be minimal._

_I have been told not to reveal our plan to you as yet, but I should think that we will be speaking again in the future._

_I will email you again in six months time with an update on the information I have found. Until then trust no one so much as your own instincts and if you feel all is compromised, all you have to do is email me to let me know._

_Good Luck,_

_Penelope Garcia_

Toby grimaced. "That doesn't really help at all, does it?"

"Actually it helps more than you know. We can of course get an investigation into the leaks rolling but sometimes the leaks aren't found until it's too late. But Penelope Garcia has a way with computers that no one else does and better than that is the fact that she is better at hiding her tracks than anyone realises. I don't like the fact that they are trying to take care of things themselves, but at the same time I can understand why they feel they need to. And really, as long as they are alive to testify against the bastards when we find them, what else matters?"

New Section-

**11 Months Later**

"Shiiiiiiiiit," Emily muttered under her breath with real feeling as she stopped moving and grabbed a nearby bookcase for support. Unfortunately for her, she was unbalanced, the bookcase itself wasn't flat on the ground and the heavy structure started to tip in towards her as she doubled over.

She closed her eyes against the sure knowledge of her own stupidity but when the pain had eased and all she could feel was a couple of sets of steadying hands on her arms, she cautiously opened her eyes and looked up.

She smiled despite the fact that the receding pain was already beginning to come back, a sure indicator that ignoring her back pain had again landed her in a world of trouble.

"You guys have impeccable timing," she said carefully, not knowing if they were alone or not.

"Are you in labour Emily?" Caitlyn asked softly.

She nodded. "Yes I am, and Dave's not here yet. We can have a competition as to who kicks his ass more if he misses this third birth, him or me."

Aaron grinned at that. "Why are you here with the furniture..."

"Are you alright Mrs Renaldi? You don't look so good all of a sudden."

She shot the man in charge of moving all her furniture a tight smile. "I'd like to say I'm fine, but I'm really not. Will it be very much longer before you are done with moving everything inside? I need to lock this house up so I can head to the..."

Her voice petered out on a low groan of pain and the man in front of her went white as a sheet. Turning away from them he bellowed, "Boys, pick up the pace! Mrs Renaldi's about to pop and needs to go!"

"Cretin; just announce it to the world why don't you," she muttered as she clung to the hands holding hers. "The only good thing is that I'm too distracted to do anything about it. If Dave were here, he'd rip that man's head off."

"Where _is_ Dave?"

"Taking turns with Kevin driving everyone down here. No one thought a little earache would get out of hand, but suddenly Kevin, Dave and I are the only healthy one's of the bunch. I certainly can't fit behind a steering wheel any longer, so I volunteered to fly ahead to meet the removalists while the guys drove the rest of the family up. Only now they're who knows how long behind us because you can't fly with an earache and I'm here about to _pop_ again; _alone_."

"Okay then, how about this; we get you inside out of this heat and sitting down and we'll see if we can get in touch with Dave for you to see how far he is away."

"Hey, new people!"

"Game faces on," Caitlyn said softly. Emily couldn't have answered if she'd tried as another contraction threatened to rip her in two.

"Hey Alissa. How's it going?"

"Better than you at the moment handsome."

Aaron grinned at the tiny old lady who had just about adopted everyone in their quiet cul-de-sac, regardless of how long they'd been there.

"What makes you think that?"

"The marks on your hand from that there young lady's fearsome grip. Shouldn't her husband be doing that for her?"

Caitlyn explained the situation as they encouraged Emily to start walking slowly towards her new front door. She was worried though because the contractions appeared to be coming once a minute and Emily didn't really look big enough to be full term. Although size could definitely be deceiving she knew.

Aaron had fished out his phone and in around the groans caused by the contractions and getting her settled on to the couch, he coaxed Emily to give him Dave's number. He was glad that the kids, both hers and his were elsewhere at the moment, because he suddenly didn't think this was going to take long at all.

The phone rang a couple of times before a tired voice answered, "Joseph Renaldi."

Mindful of the fact that Alissa had followed them in and was now sitting at Emily's side, he replied, "Hello. You don't know me but I just met your wife out front of your new property. My name is Ben Woodcock and my wife and I rescued her from a falling bookcase."

He heard a deep sigh at the other end of the phone. "Kevin, step on it. Emily's in labour." He heard a faint yelp, before Dave continued. "Okay, so you aren't alone Aaron, but at least she has a familiar face with her. What happened exactly?"

"Kaelin has gone into labour. From what my wife Nicole and I could see as we walking toward her to welcome her to the neighbourhood, she had a contraction hit her suddenly and she reached out to grab the closest item for support, which was the bookcase. Unfortunately for her it started to tip over so we raced over to divert a disaster. She asked that I call you to find out how long you would be."

"I think we're just about to hit the city limits now. All going well, we'll be there in about 45 minutes."

"She'll be relieved to know that, though from the look on my wife's face – Nicole is a doctor by the way – I don't know that you actually have 45 minutes to get here."

"It'll take longer if we get pulled over by the police, but we're doing our best. Tell her I love her and I'll be there as fast as I can."

He wisely hung up before Aaron, who had forgotten Alissa was nearby and probably listening with her still-keen hearing, could come back with a crack about the awkwardness of passing on that message to a woman who had once been his subordinate.

"Your husband sends his love and will be here as soon as he can manage it; no more than 45 minutes unless they get pulled over by the police."

She let out a wail that made him jump and wish fervently that he was anywhere else. Of course, then the wail turned into a scream and the scream turned into cursing and plotting that had him muttering his apologies and running while everything was still intact.

With the number still on his phone, he dialled as soon as he was outside and out of earshot of anyone around him.

"Well?" Dave demanded immediately.

"The only part I left out is how furious she is at you for being away yet _again_ during the birth of your latest child. You'd better hope things in there slow down. I don't _know_ you well enough yet to offer you my spare room until things calm down if you aren't here in time."

He lifted a hand and waved to Derek and Carrie as they strolled slowly towards him.

"I'll live if it comes to it. Is she going to a hospital?"

"I don't know. Caitlyn's in with her now."

"Well at least she's with someone I trust. Will you keep an eye on things for me?"

"Not only no, but hell no! Caitlyn had an epidural and was pretty calm and reasonable through the process of birthing our daughter. Emily is violently angry and I am fighting an urge to wash her mouth out with soap even while I think of protecting my equipment. No, she's got Caitlyn with her and Alissa, who has apparently given birth to nine children back in her day, so she is all covered. I'm going to stand out here and count myself lucky that everything is still intact."

"Chicken."

"Survival of the smartest."

"Means the same thing. Oh well; at least now I have an idea of what I'm coming into. Can you believe I have two daughters and yet I've never been there for this part of the process?"

"It happens Dave, and I've no doubt she loves you regardless."

"Humph. I'll go while you're ahead."

Aaron laughed as Dave hung up.

"Did we hear you right?" Carrie asked curiously.

"Mmm; the last of our merry band is shortly to arrive. Sooner if they push the speed limit."

"Why would they want to do that?" Derek asked.

A scream suddenly came from the house and the removalists bolted from wherever they'd been within the house as the scream escalated again into cursing.

Derek nodded his head in understanding. "Baby number three on the way?"

"Yep, and do you need to guess who is absent yet again?"

They shook their heads in mock sadness and winced at another longer, more drawn-out scream.

Aaron sighed softly. "Poor Dave. I honestly don't think he's going to make it in time."

Half an later they stood out front of the house with about a dozen other couples and families from the neighbourhood, listening to what they could probably have heard a district over when a car horn suddenly blasted and people scrambled to move out of the way of the driveway. The large family SUV screeched to a halt and they all watched as an older man leapt out of the passenger side and ran into the house just as another scream started.

"Oh dear, she's beginning to sound hoarse poor love. A pity about the health service being what it is that they have to _prioritise_ people..."

He tuned out the complaint he'd already heard several times since the announcement that there wasn't an ambulance available to pick the expecting mum up for at least another hour due to an overworked system and a lack of available vehicles.

He flinched just slightly as sobbing could suddenly be heard through the open window and prayed that everything would work out in the end.

New Section

Dave entered the living room and winced at what he saw there. Emily looked utterly exhausted and with another person there, he couldn't even say what he really wanted to say as he rushed to her side.

"Kaelin."

Her eyes opened and fell on him and the relief he saw there drew him close. Leaning around the old woman sitting on a chair beside her, he kissed her tenderly and placed his hands on her swollen abdomen.

"Come on little one; be kind to your mama."

"Joseph, there is _nothing_ kind about this." Her husky voice broke at the end and she began to cry with deep, wracking sobs that tore him up through and through.

"I'll leave you kids to it now," Alissa said softly as she stood with a slight groan and shuffled out of the room. Caitlyn, seeing that labour had stopped for a minute, retreated to the doorway where Carrie had stopped with the things she'd asked for. They both stepped out into the kitchen to give the couple in the living room some privacy.

Dave caught and held Emily's eyes as her sobs petered out into soft gasps. He waited until her breathing had smoothed as much as it could considering what she was in the middle of doing before he smiled at her lovingly.

"You really don't have an easy time of it in birthing babies, do you love?"

She shook her head tiredly as she settled deeper into the support at her back. "The doctor I had the second time around said it had to do with my age, the size of the baby and the shape of my hips and pelvic region. To be honest, I didn't pay the closest attention to what she was saying because I was trying to push Tammy out at the time."

"I can imagine. I know I haven't been here in this for you but only tell me what you need and I'm here for you. I love you so much Em; so, so much."

The tender kiss they were sharing was interrupted by a stronger contraction that returned the other two women in the house at a run. Caitlyn took a look at what was happening and nodded.

"It's time everyone. Dave, why don't you pop in behind Emily's back and support her that way."

A minute later they were all ready but the baby clearly wasn't. It took Emily another half hour to push her third child out and by the time that was done, she was just about completely out of energy.

"Alright then, let's give him a..."

"It's a boy then?" Dave asked anxiously.

"You didn't know?"

"Emily refused right from the start to know the sex. She said she was surprised by the other two and she wanted to be surprised here as well. I wasn't that concerned with knowing the sex as long as the monkey was healthy and growing well."

"Well then yes; you have a son to add to the two beautiful daughters you already have. How premature is he?"

Dave looked at Emily and might have laughed if he hadn't thought it would wake his now-sleeping wife. Caitlyn and Carrie shared amused smiles with him.

"He'd only be about three weeks early. Our doctor did say that he was on the small side, but he has formed properly and he said he'd probably end up being one of those really tall teens after the really small start."

Carrie nodded agreement as she continued wiping down the squalling, wriggling little boy in preparation for handing him over to his parents for their first cuddle.

"So is everyone else here safely?" Dave asked softly.

Caitlyn nodded as Emily started awake with a wince and shifted. "Easy Em; this is just the afterbirth. Nice easy push and you'll be done."

A minute later, Caitlyn took the baby boy from Carrie and looked him over quickly before wrapping him up snugly in a towel Carrie had found and handed him over to Emily. Then the two women stepped back to give them a few minutes to bond with the newest addition to their family.

New Section

Caitlyn and Dave smothered laughter as they stepped outside to see most of the neighbourhood was still on Dave's front lawn waiting for news.

"Is it always like this?" he murmured softly as he tucked his new son closer to his heart.

"Oh yes; welcome to the close-knit community of Caramon." Raising her voice, she called, "The Renaldi's thank everyone for their support and ask for any volunteer's who have a little time right now to help them get their furniture placed in the right place in the rooms they are meant to be in."

There was an instant delighted cheer through the group.

"How much of that is true helpfulness and how much of it will be because they just want all the goss?"

"Most of it will be out of a need to be helpful. We don't actually have any issues with nasty, malicious gossips or families or people that are hard to get on with. What little talk there is all appears to be good-natured and not intended to cause deliberate harm."

"That's good then." He watched as an ambulance made its way to a stop right in front of his house. "At least we'll be out of most of it. Will you keep an eye on the children for me and make sure they don't give Kevin grief about taking their medicine and going to bed once their rooms are set up?"

"Absolutely. And now that you are indebted to me for the rest of your life, we can pretend to instant, lifelong friendship."

"Ah, cut to the quick. Here I am thinking we already had that."

She laughed at his soft jest and gestured to the paramedics to follow her into the house. He followed them and watched as they transferred Emily first to the stretcher and then to the ambulance through the large crowd of people making their way to his front door. Complete strangers called congratulations to them both. Some asked if they were allergic to any food and he suggested that they direct all their questions to Kevin as he would be staying behind.

With relief, he climbed into the ambulance and as the doors shut, left the other couple to deal with all the people.

New Section

Kevin thanked the last group of people leaving the house and closed the door with relief. Only their group remained, minus Dave and Emily still at the hospital and Penelope, who was in bed after being sick just over an hour ago.

He peered into the kitchen, where the women had taken over. About half a dozen women from the neighbourhood had figured out that Dave and Emily did the majority of the shopping and cooking for the combined household. They'd discussed the fact that there was no food in the house and wouldn't be for a while with Emily in the hospital and Dave focused on his wife and new son.

So they'd left their partners behind and had combined their money in a huge grocery shop that stocked the massive pantry completely right from the start. They were more careful with the cold items as the freezer and fridge had only just been turned on and so had only bought enough for that evenings' meal.

Now, with only their own group left behind, Caitlyn, Carrie, JJ and Austin were all in there and cooking up a storm.

He shuddered just slightly at the giggles he could hear and went to find the men who had disappeared and come back with beer for a mini 'welcome' party.

"Are we it now?" Reid asked as he rocked Gideon on his shoulder. The toddler was completely tuckered out after being run around the big backyard for most of the afternoon by the kids who weren't helping with moving things around.

The rest of the kids were tucked into the den and watching a movie, though Kevin half thought they would all be asleep by the time dinner was finally ready.

"Yes; I just said goodbye to the last of the outsiders. It's nice to be in such a tight-knit community, but I'm not used to having people be so interested in finding out about us."

"Where were you before here?" Derek asked curiously.

"We've been in Chicago. We figured it was big enough to disappear into while we were waiting and building up our back stories. And now we are here in suburban Indianapolis, having decided we'd had enough of the big city and wanting a quieter, safer place to raise our families."

"And it helps to know this region is one of the most growth-oriented regions in the country," Reid said softly.

"There's definitely added security in knowing that we won't be _as noticed_ moving into this region as others because of the amount of movement happening naturally here over the last few years; that's true," Aaron agreed. He tipped his head slightly to the side as a baby started to cry and left the room.

"So how is all of you still being here not suspicious?"

"We're all new to this community within the last 6 months. A lot of other people are new in the last few years, but we are considered still new and finding our way and so we gravitate to new people because that is what we are still considered to be."

"Makes sense," Kevin agreed with a nod and left the room as Britney-Ann started to cry. Checking his watch, he noted it was time for medicine and feeding. Half an hour later, with that done, he sat down in his new dining room with his old friends and they gave thanks that they'd all found each other again without having run afoul of their still-unknown enemy.

"So does everyone here actually have an ear infection?"

Kevin sighed. "Sadly yes. We went to this really popular lake for a picnic and a swim because the weather was perfect for it. Neither Dave nor I were inclined to swim and Emily couldn't because she was under orders to stay in bed for a week after a false alarm with labour. She ordered Dave to go along to keep an eye on the kids. So Dave and I sat on the shore and watched the others frolic in the water. They all ended up with water in the ears which is normally really easy to dry out and that's the end of it but in this case, there was bacteria in the water that got into the ear and caused an infection. There were about a thousand people or thereabouts who had a similar infection. Some people showed the infection faster than others and it took them a couple of weeks to connect the breakout of infections with a single place and close it down until it could be fixed."

"Ouch," Carrie said.

"Ouch pretty much covers it. They _are_ getting better, but it's taking time and with the move and it being school holidays, the kids in particular are miserable and cranky at being left out of everything and cooped up in bed."

"I can imagine," Caitlyn murmured.

"Did Penelope manage to find the leak?" Derek asked, changing the subject and referring to the leak at the US Marshall's office.

Kevin shook his head. "It was hard at first for her to find the time. We were learning to be parents, though Emily was a huge help not only to us but to Dave as well as he bonded with his daughters. But then she started working through the list but it was still slow going. She has to be so careful that they don't catch her at it because then the wrong people could find out. Then too, the list of people to work through was longer than she thought it would be. I'm helping where I can, but the same rules apply to me and I don't quite have her depth of delicacy so it takes me twice as long to check someone out."

"I'm sure you're a great help to her and that you're both doing a great job," Austin reassured him with a sweet smile.

"Thanks," he said softly. "It sometimes doesn't feel like we're doing enough. We all want to go home and in this case, finding the leak could be the first step to gaining access to the information we need to find the people who still want us dead. But still this person eludes us."

"Uncle Simon?"

They all turned at the soft voice in the doorway to the dining room to see Katie standing there and looking uncertain.

"Hey sweetheart. Come here."

She walked to him and he pulled her up onto his lap and tucked her in close as she sighed softly.

"We are mummy and daddy?"

"They're at the hospital. Mummy had the baby shortly after we got here so they'll be there for the next couple of days with your new baby brother before they can all come home."

"I have a brother?"

"You do. Is that alright?"

She nodded and yawned.

"Are you hungry?"

She thought about it and then shook her head. "Wanted a cuddle with daddy but I couldn't find him."

"Well I hope a cuddle with me will do until daddy comes home."

Again she nodded as she yawned. "You give good cud..."

Her words drifted off as she fell back to sleep and Kevin smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll be back in a minute."

They waited until he'd walked out with Katie in his arms before conversation resumed.

"How much does she look like Emily?" JJ asked as she shook her head.

"Rossi's probably relieved," Derek said deadpan, causing everyone to laugh.

Kevin returned and JJ shared what he'd missed. Kevin grinned.

"Dave is always saying how relieved he is to be surrounded by beautiful women. Tammy has thankfully taken the same looks as her sister and mother. Emily says that it's only on her worst days that she can see anything of Troy in her youngest daughter and then that is only in her eyebrows. Luckily she is the sweetest child so those times are really very few and far between."

"So he's probably looking forward to having a son look like him then?" Austin asked curiously.

"Gods no," Kevin exclaimed with a slight shudder. "The general consensus from the house, minus Emily of course, is that all of his children should look like their mother because his looks aren't anything to write home about. Emily has threatened to divorce him if he doesn't give her at least one child who takes after his looks. He doubts she's serious, but I thought she looked pretty serious so I think we'll just have to watch that one to see what happens."

Everyone laughed at that and the conversation shifted again to the upcoming events in the neighbourhood. They continued talking through the rest of the meal and as they tidied up the kitchen. They settled in the living room with wine and beer and conversed for several more hours before they all decided that it was time to take themselves and their families home and let Kevin rest after the craziness of the day.

It was almost midnight before Kevin reached his bedroom for sleep. Of course, first he had to move Penelope over so that he could actually lie down _on_ the bed instead of beside it. Dave was unfortunately _not_ the only bed hog in the house.

As Kevin finished his preparations for bed, he thought about how good it was to be back among people he trusted. He knew Emily and Dave had to be thinking the same thing where they were at the hospital and he knew Penelope would also be thinking the same once she was well enough to comprehend it all.

So now their hurdles were remaining hidden, finding the enemy and bringing them to justice so they could return home.

He sighed softly as he thought about how lengthy and dangerous a process this had already been and how much longer it might actually take to get them home. But he also knew that now they were all together where all their weaknesses were covered by others that they were in a much better position.

_Nothing can stop us now._

As he curled up around Penelope he thought, _hopefully those aren't famous last thoughts._

End-

**A/N: I know this is shorter than my previous chapters, but I've gotten into the habit of shorter chapters so this will probably turn into the average length for the rest of the story. I also know this is quieter than the chapters before it, but that quietness won't last long and I needed to set this scene where they are all together again after splitting up. The next chapter will show more of the background to what happened to force them out and to the conversation they had when they decided to make this move.**

**Again, so sorry for the delay. I shall be trying my hardest to avoid this happening again.**

**But if you're still with me and you still like this, please let me know by using the conveniently located review button right below this request.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so I know the gap between this one and the last one wasn't as long as between the two before, but it is still a lot longer than I would like it to be. So I'm sorry again for taking so long to get back to it. **

**I also know what I said in the author's notes about this being another scene setter, but I have decided to really get this story heading towards it's end, so don't be too surprised if you see some drama and suspense before the end of the chapter and possibly one of my famous cliffies.**

**I was a bit surprised to receive any reviews at all to the last chapter, seeing as how it had been so long in coming, but I did and I'm so thankful for this fact. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed from the start, both signed and anonymous and in particular I would like to thank those who actually reviewed the last chapter, miaa29 and HGRHfan35 (particularly for reviewing and jumping on board for the entire story to date). The two of you made continuing with this story worth it. **

**From now on in, everyone will be using their real names (you'll see why as the chapter progresses) so you won't need any assistance in knowing who is who anymore.**

**WARNING: This chapter includes adult themes and mild coarse language that may be unsuitable for younger readers.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 7

Six months after the end of chapter 6

Penelope stared blearily at the computer screen in front of her and contemplated murder. She wasn't sure exactly who would bear the brunt of her anger, but someone or something was going to pay. Then maybe she'd still feel like a wilted flower left too long in the summer sun without water, but just maybe she'd feel better.

A baby cried upstairs and was followed by the soft sounds of someone moving about.

"Most likely Emily," she muttered tiredly to herself. "Dave's too heavy to walk that softly."

She was almost asleep sitting up when a gentle hand stroked over her hair.

"Hey you, were you up all night?"

She tipped her head sideways and leaned against Emily's hip with a happy sigh. She inhaled the soft scent of baby oil mixed with vanilla that emanated from her best friend and nodded.

"Having another baby seemed like a good idea at the time. Problem is I forgot the morning, noon and night sickness I had with Britney-Ann; or maybe it would be safer to say that I hoped things would be different this time around."

"Poor love. Well, just remember that it's only another five weeks before it eases."

"Someone might well be dead by then," she muttered testily, though her annoyance eased away under the mesmerising touch of Emily's hand through her hair. Fighting off her fatigue, she murmured, "You're up early."

Emily's voice was amused as she replied, "Honey, it's almost six; this is a sleep-in for the both of us. I'd tell you to go get some sleep, but first I want to know what the flashing red box down the bottom of the screen means."

Emily's words filtered slowly through her sleep-deprived brain, making no sense at first. It wasn't until she was tapped gently on the head that it suddenly sunk in what the older woman had said. And suddenly she was wide awake.

New Section

"Firstein."

Greg looked up wearily from the limp-looking salad in front of him, relieved to have a distraction from such an unappetising meal.

Toby dropped into the seat across the table from him and looked around. Because of the lateness of the day, the cafeteria-style lunch area was temporarily deserted.

"We just got an email."

Shoving his lunch to the side, he took the official-looking file from Toby that was plastered with 'Private & Confidential' stickers; stickers that normally had to be approved before being used; and opened it up.

_Agent Firstein,_

_My search has finally borne fruit; we know who your leak is, and regret to inform you that you actually have two. Once we found the first, we searched out from this person hoping to find their associates outside of your agency who wanted us silenced. I have just completed my search, but not before I found their friend within the agency._

_I have included bios of the two agents we believe responsible for leaking our information. I have also included the information I have on the man I believe to be in charge of the testing labs; I don't believe you ever knew who that was. In addition, we have given you what we have on everyone under him presently._

_None of us have a desire to get close to any of these people, so we shall leave this in your hands as to how you handle it._

_For the time being, we shall continue to use this email address only for contact with you, but we shall check it daily now for news of the outcomes following the revelation of this flood of information. And when the time is right, you'll hear from us directly._

_We wish you all the best and will be believing for a safe outcome for all concerned._

_Penelope Lynch_

Greg shifted the email, placing it face down under his bowl and looked at the information on the topmost sheet of paper.

"You condensed everything down?"

"You still have the complete printouts, including the proof they've found, but I thought you might want to just have the highlights in front of you in the first instance in light of what was revealed."

"Is this accurate?"

"I wish I could say it wasn't, but I triple checked everything because I knew you'd ask me that."

"Shit. We are in so much trouble if this is accurate."

"It is and you are. Say goodnight boys."

Greg's head snapped up as a silenced shot thundered past his head.

New Section

"What do you think is taking them so long?" Carrie asked the girls idly as she lazed on the chaise lounge beside the pool in the backyard belonging to the Rossi's and the Lynch's. She was dressed in an emerald green bikini that matched her eyes and was well aware that Derek had been staring at her for the last five minutes as he tried to get her attention. She knew he wanted them to find a secluded spot so that he could have her, but she wasn't interested in that as sore as her stomach was after being up all night with the flu. Of course, Derek thought she was pregnant; she'd yet to tell him that her monthlies had started not an hour before they'd left the house to come here for lunch. She wasn't ready to crush his excitement a second time.

Emily shrugged slightly, careful not to dislodge the light covering she was using as she fed David.

"We gave them a lot of information. They'll have to be careful to act on all the names all at once in order to stop anyone from getting away. That takes time and careful planning, particularly with one of those two agents being so high up the chain of command and privy to so much of the comings and goings of the staff in that office. It's only been five days; give it time."

She sighed softly and pulled a cushion over her face. "I'm sorry," she mumbled with another, heavier sigh. "I just really miss my parents. I mean, Derek and I have already discussed it and I'm happy to relocate to Virginia with him when he returns home, but even if I do that, I'd still get to see my parents more frequently than I do now."

The others around her nodded understandingly and patted her shoulders in commiseration.

"Soon it will be over and we'll have to get used to living our lives all over again. I for one am anxious about that."

"How so mamma?" Penelope asked lazily as she turned her head to look fully at Emily.

Emily shifted David to her shoulder and slipped her bikini top back in place. "I have three children now to consider in all of my decisions. As much as both Dave and I want to go back to work, we can't both act like we don't have three littlies depending on us for their wellbeing; one of us is going to need to scale back and I'm not so sure that is going to be as hard a decision for us to make as Dave thinks it is."

"Don't you want to go back to work?" JJ asked.

She shook her head slowly. "I don't think that I do. I've loved being a stay-at-home mum this last year and a half since I hooked up with Dave. I don't want to miss the million-and-one milestones that are part and parcel of a baby's growth. And to be honest, I had no idea how truly weary I was until I was placed in protective custody and was forced to rest. I really don't want to go straight back to that place when we return."

They all fell silent, thinking on what she'd said. That silence was interrupted by a beep from Penelope's phone. They all turned their attention to the bubbly blonde as she lifted the phone and used her floppy hot-pink straw hat to shade her eyes and the phone as she looked at it.

She waved everyone to stay put as she got up slowly. "Just an email come in. I'll go check it out, but it doesn't say which account its come in to so you should all stay and be comfy."

"It probably isn't the one we need anyway," Emily said as she stood and followed Penelope towards the patio.

"So where are you going then?" JJ called teasingly.

"To put David to bed. It's too hot out here to willingly leave him here now that he's happily snoozing again."

She brushed her fingers over Dave's shoulder as she passed the men who were sitting with their beers in the shade of the patio before slipping inside the air-conditioned house with a small sigh of relief. She was rapidly coming to the conclusion that it was time to get back in the water now that lunch had settled.

Once her small son was settled in with his favourite blanket and bear, she moved down the stairs and followed the sounds of Penelope's muttering.

"What's up Pen?"

"You mean beyond the fact that the email was alerting me to a breaking news story within the Department of Justice? Watch this," she added tiredly as she pressed the play button.

Emily watched the clip detailing the shootout between three agents in a cafeteria at the office in Virginia as shock coursed through her. Two agents were injured, a third was killed and a fourth had been arrested. No names were mentioned, but both women knew that this had to do with them.

"So much for secrecy," Emily whispered raggedly.

"We'll never be free. The rest that weren't picked up will go to ground and they'll never be found and we'll never be free."

Emily wrapped her arms around Penelope's shoulders as she started to sob hysterically. When the clip ended, she pressed play and watched it again.

"Hey, what's going on?" Aaron asked, appearing behind the two women suddenly enough that Emily jumped slightly.

She pressed play for a third time and watched as Aaron's eyes narrowed.

"What?" she asked softly. What'd I miss?"

"Can we pause this on a specific spot?"

Emily rubbed Pen's shoulders and squeezed gently as the blonde pulled herself together and reached for a tissue.

Once she was calm again, Aaron guided her to the spot he'd seen and pointed. "Look at the date on that calendar on the wall there. This news has only just leaked to the press but the date on this footage is five days old."

"What does that mean?" Penelope asked and blew her nose again as hope unfurled.

"It means," Emily said, excitement in her tone, "That this event happened days ago and has only just now been leaked out to the news affiliates."

"And this is a good thing?"

"It's a brilliant thing. It means that we might be in the clear yet. Check the email account."

"But I haven't received a notification of incoming email," she complained half-heartedly as she typed rapidly.

"Notifications are fallible," Aaron said easily as they exchanged hopeful looks.

"What? No drink yet?" Caitlyn teased as she bounced up.

Aaron shook his head without replying as they all leaned in to see the email Penelope had just found and opened with a shaky hand. Caitlyn pressed in close to his side to see what was going on as her insatiable curiosity got the better of her.

They started reading just as the notification came in that she had another email.

_Dear Penelope,_

_As you have been my contact from the start, I am addressing this letter to you, however I have no doubt that everyone will be viewing this within the hour._

_The message is simple; the information you sent us was invaluable. Though we were injured in the initial scuffle, our wounds heal as we continue working towards the goal of bringing you all home. I can only apologise if you saw the news footage that leaked before this email was sent. We were attempting to secure all loose ends before sending this out to you._

_The dual leak within our department has been fully neutralised, one way or another. The outside sources we sought after have all been secured and are being held pending trial. The date for this has not as yet been set, but I doubt that it will be very long before it occurs. The government is too eager to put this behind us and move on as if it didn't happen. The news of why everything has happened is being suppressed from the topmost levels and I have been informed that your names will also be kept out of everything. The trial will not be held before a jury, though that is obviously what **they **want, but will be before a single judge as they continue to cover everything up to the best of their abilities. To say they are hoping to keep it from the world at large is an understatement of epic proportions. Do not be surprised if you are asked to sign wavers to the effect that you will never speak of this to anyone for any reason._

_Until I have information of the dates you are required to give testimony before the judge, I recommend you stay where you are, just in case something happens. We shall continue to monitor the situation and investigate the possibility that we may have missed someone, just to ensure that we haven't._

_I look forward to meeting all of you again sometime soon, and hopefully when I can assure you that your safety and freedom are yours once more._

_Faithfully,_

_Agent Firstein_

New Section

"So what happens now?" Carrie asked breathlessly as Derek set her back on the ground after spinning her around in several dizzying circles and the cheers died down.

"We wait some more," Dave guessed dryly, causing everyone to laugh.

"Unfortunately that's true," Aaron added. "But only for a short time hopefully. Penelope wrote back stating that we were ready whenever they want to schedule us for testifying, so they'll know not to wait. Agent Firstein also wants to be really sure that they have _all_ the players, and that even one hasn't slipped their net before they call us out of hiding."

"Is that possible with the Lynch's on the trail?" Austin asked.

"Doubtful, but I appreciate their attention to detail," Kevin said and Penelope led the way nodding agreement.

Emily looked up at the hot sun and grinned. "I think this is a call for celebration so, everyone in the pool."

Another cheer went up and everyone ran for the water.

New Section

Three weeks later, the email they had all anxiously been waiting for came in and for almost an hour they just sat in silence, unable to comprehend going out and being themselves again.

"It almost seems too good to be true. Are we sure?"

Emily shot JJ a sympathetic look, but had no answer for her. By stepping out of hiding, they were taking a _huge_ risk that no one had slipped the net, that all the men and women still at large who'd harmed them had been captured, or killed in the attempt. But they weren't just risking their lives, they were risking their children's lives and that was the part that scared all of them the most.

Caitlyn leaned over and whispered in Aaron's ear and he looked at her steadily for a moment before nodding slightly and clearing his throat. When he had everyone's attention, he said quietly, "Caitlyn and I have been talking, and we've decided that we aren't going to put Jack and Joshua at risk. I'll go to Virginia for the trial, but Caitlyn will stay here with the boys in case anything happens to me. It wasn't the easiest decision to make, but my family comes first and it'll be easier for me if something happens to know that they're safe."

Most of the group gaped at him, but Emily smiled slightly as she looked down at David in her arms and as Dave chuckled. "Great minds thinking alike Aaron? Emily and I decided on the same thing just last night. The girls have been through too much already and David is just too innocent for either of us to place in that position. We just hadn't quite figured out who we would trust them too as we can't just leave one of us behind."

"This isn't to say that the rest of you need to do the same," Emily hurried to assure everyone in the heavy silence that followed her husband's words. "But the fact of the matter is, they already shot Henry before we disappeared, Katie has already been molested by one of them and Tammy frightened and even though all of those men are dead, how does that stop any of the others from being any different? Those are our reasons. You all need to make the decisions that are right for you and your family."

She stopped speaking and reconcentrated her attentions on the little boy lying in her arms. The thought that she was going to leave him behind and might never see him again if anything happened to her was frightening. But even more frightening was the thought that she could take him with her and if they'd missed even one of the sadistic players they were up against, he could well end up in their clutches. And that had been her deciding thought and the reason she'd agreed to Dave's wacky plan to leave her children behind.

The kiss that settled on the top of her head was accompanied by the pure comfort that came from being in Dave's arms as they settled around her. He understood, more than he'd let on, but in the end, he'd always chosen to do what was best for the both of them and for that, she'd always be grateful.

Austin cleared her throat. "Reid and I really loosely discussed something similar, but hadn't made any decisions yet. But if we do decide on me staying here with Gideon while Reid goes, you guys are more than welcome to leave the girls and David with me."

Emily shot her a small smile and Dave nodded his thanks and silence fell again. As much as they all wanted closure, none of them were willing to rush out and risk their lives again should anyone have been overlooked during the seizure of property and personnel.

"When do we need to leave?" Reid asked softly, reluctantly.

"Three days time," Aaron said quickly. "Our testimonies start on Monday and we don't want to arrive too early. Penelope is ready to book our flights, she just needs to know how many to book for."

Emily sighed softly. "The hardest decision of all to make comes with the question; what do you risk if you make the wrong decision? I need to go start dinner, so perhaps if you all split up to different areas around the house and discuss what you want to do with your partners, that would be best. Then you can let us know what you've decided after dinner and before you leave so we can ensure we don't miss out on the necessary number of seats on the flight."

In the end, the decision made by the Hotchner's and the Rossi's was taken up by the entire group, though the screaming match that filled the house told everyone clearly that Carrie was not happy with Derek or his reasoning for agreeing that she should stay behind. She was barely pacified by the knowledge that Penelope would trust Britney-Ann with her alone while she was gone and considering the tension between the couple, it wasn't surprising that they left before dinner was ready to see if they could repair the damage between them before Derek left.

Dave and Emily agreed to Austin taking in their children after assuring themselves that it wasn't going to be too much for her should something happen to them. Caitlyn offered to take Henry, Lucy and Mark for Will and JJ but had a lot more convincing to do as she already had Jack and Joshua.

Yet, in the end, they all agreed that it was too great a risk to take a second time around. So the flight was booked and plans were made to cover all contingencies, even the more farfetched ones the team could come up with. And at the end of the night, a much-subdued group went home to spend the necessary time with their children and loved ones before the group split again, potentially for the last time.

New Section

"There's Agent Firstein," JJ said, pointing towards two men standing against a wall and watching everyone around them warily.

"Does anyone know who the younger guy is?" Derek asked cautiously as they paused to let a heavily loaded baggage train go past them.

They all shook their heads and looked to Aaron as their leader. He sighed softly, straightened his shoulders and led them across the space between them.

"Greg Firstein."

"Aaron Hotchner. I was beginning to think that none of you were going to show up today."

"Trust us when we say that was an incredibly tempting option," Dave stated dryly.

They all laughed and the tension around them eased as they all turned their attention to the younger agent with the painful looking knot on his forehead and his left arm in a sling.

"This is Toby Bebe. He's an agent-in-training and for the past several years has been making my life interesting. He was the one who first brought the leaks in our department regarding your case to my attention and he has stuck with this from the start and proved to be invaluable. Just don't hang around with him if you're tired; he'll make you feel like you're actually dead with all his energy."

"He's saying such nice things about me because I saved his life and he has some misplaced guilt over putting me in harms way. The truth is, I drove him nuts over the last few years. But I fully believe in bringing people back to their lives if at all possible and I was intent on making that possible for all of you if I could."

"Yeah, what happened to the two of you to put you in this state?" Penelope asked, gesturing from Toby to Greg, who had a series of cuts on his face and was carefully guarding his ribs as they moved out of the hall and into a side room marked for security personnel.

"One of the informants within the agency figured out that we were onto them and came to do away with us. The first bullet went wide, then Toby tackled me out of the way and I hit a table and shattered some glass. Toby took the bullet in the shoulder before killing them. The reason I keep saying nice things is because I am more than just impressed by him; his dominant hand is his left and he admitted he can't actually shoot properly with his right."

They all shot Toby an impressed look as he shifted uncomfortably, mumbled something unintelligible and blushed. He distracted everyone by lifting the case he held onto the table.

"Firstein and I brought you guys gifts. We figured you'd feel more comfortable with them than without."

Toby opened the case one-handed and turned it around to face them. Their FBI badges and guns nestled there waiting for them. They exchanged gleeful smiles and reached for their weapons.

"I'm surprised your group isn't larger," Greg said quietly as he watched them settle their holsters into their preferred places.

"Really? I figured you'd understand," Emily said in surprise as she paused. He tipped his head to the side in enquiry and she continued, "Our families are everything to us. If we all somehow missed even one person, our lives could still be forfeit and why should they suffer further for what happened to us? If something more occurs, no one will ever see them again because they will simply disappear."

"Do you think we missed someone?" Toby asked worriedly.

"I sincerely hope not," Penelope said firmly, refusing to believe anything else.

They moved out of the airport and across town to a safe house that they would share for the duration of the trial. Security was explained to them and they were introduced to everyone on the detail.

"If anyone new pops up, suspect them until you've spoken to me. Don't take chances; we need you all alive and well for this until it's over."

They settled in quickly but found that they all struggled to sleep. For Penelope, her reasons had to do with morning sickness more than her nerves over the coming interrogation by the judge, but they were all so nervous they ended up sitting in the living room and reminiscing over the past before the camp that changed their lives all through the night.

New Section

"How do you think it's going? Austin asked softly as she sipped at her wine. Carrie was sprawled out on the floor half-asleep and Caitlyn had claimed the length of the opposite couch to the one she was sitting on. None of them had the energy for real conversation, but the real reason for the quiet of the house had to do with spending almost six hours trying to settle five infants, three of whom desperately wanted their parents and had been denied access and five older children who understood what was going on and were as a result clingy and weepy out of fear.

They had somehow survived Sunday afternoon and Monday, though none of them were willing to bet on Tuesday unless the children settled greatly overnight.

"It's probably too early to tell," Caitlyn said tiredly. "They didn't even know what order the judge was going to call them in on, or even if he'd interrogate them individually or as a group."

"It's a pity it couldn't all finish in a day, with a decision already made. I feel more than knackered and this is just the first day and a half," Carrie moaned

Austin reached out her foot and nudged her gently. "Cut yourself some slack. You have your monthlies and a cold all in one so of course it's doing you in more than us. We'll get through it together. We just have to stick close to each other and be supportive."

"Mmm, I can do that," she mumbled around a yawn. "However I won't be doing anything if I don't get off to bed. Night ladies."

Austin hugged her as she got up and Caitlyn waved from the couch as she stretched.

"She's right about the sleep. We need all we can get while the little darlings are all snoozing in their beds."

"I know you're right, but the thought of finding energy to move just seemed to zap what little energy I actually had left."

Caitlyn giggled softly and hauled the younger woman up and out of her seat.

"It was nice of Dave to suggest we stay here for the duration. Keeps everyone close..." her voice tapered off in a yawn and Caitlyn nodded agreement as they hugged goodnight and split off to the rooms they'd claimed as their own. Luckily the large house the Rossi's and the Lynch's shared had plenty enough space for them all to reside in comfortably; it meant they could easily back each other up, something they'd already discovered that they needed desperately across the interminably long day.

New Section

"How is she?" Emily asked softly as she looked at Penelope. The normally bubbly technical analyst had been the second called on to give her testimony, hot on the heels of her husband, who looked like he'd been put through the wringer before being beaten to a pulp. Penelope had lasted the distance and figured that one afternoon would be enough, but had been informed they'd need her for an hour or so in the morning and that was it; she'd started sobbing like something was broken and it was agony. That had been an hour ago.

"I think she's fallen asleep on me."

Emily bent over to look at her friends' face and smiled slightly, patting Kevin on the shoulder.

"We're all making last minute toilet trips and then we'll be heading off, so you can let her sleep for a couple more minutes."

"Thanks." He hesitated slightly and Emily stopped in the process of taking a step away. "Do you think this'll break her?"

"No," Emily said firmly. "I think she'll be down in the dumps for the length of this and then she'll buck up as soon as she realises she gets to see Britney-Ann again. Remember too, she's up most of the night with morning sickness and now we've added the stress of this during the day. We'll take her back to the safe house, feed her and put her to bed to sleep until the nausea wakes her and tomorrow we'll all be there alongside her when she needs us."

"So the short answer is she'll be fine?"

She laughed until she hiccupped slightly and realised she really needed a last minute break herself. "Yes, the short answer is exactly that. Sorry, Dave would say I've reached ramble alley in my exhausted state."

He shot her a grin and shooed her off and she went willingly, stopping only long enough to tell JJ she was going to the bathroom. Five minutes later she felt marginally better and was washing her hands when a vaguely family voice spoke.

"Emily? Emily Prentiss?"

New Section

"Right, are we all ready to go? Where's Emily?"

They looked at Aaron blankly, though JJ frowned slightly. "She passed me in the hall and said she was ducking in to the ladies room. That was about ten minutes ago. Do you want me to see what's holding her up?"

"Please. I think we are all tired and in need of some food and as decent a nights sleep as we can manage."

"Wait, I'll come too; I suddenly need to go," Penelope said, flushing as everyone teased her gently. The two blondes linked arms and walked off down the hall. They came back several minutes later and looked puzzled as they saw the group.

"She wasn't in the bathroom. We figured we must have missed her when we took the lift instead of the stairs. Is she not back yet?"

Dave pulled out his phone and dialled her number, waiting as it rung. He shook his head, worry all over his face as he moved the piece away from his ear. "It rang out."

"Was there anything at all out of place?" Aaron asked quickly.

"No, but then we weren't looking," JJ said, not waiting for an order before she jogged down the hall and disappeared up the stairs. Her frustration was evident when she came back down. "There isn't anything to see. No signs of blood or of a scuffle of any kind. She didn't leave anything behind and there aren't any notes to say where she went. She's just vanished."

"She wouldn't _just_ leave," Dave said hotly, shooting a glare at the younger woman.

"She didn't say that," Aaron soothed. "Has anyone seen anyone who made you suspicious, or who looked familiar?"

"Whoa, you all look utterly spooked and dangerous. What's going on?" Toby asked as he walked up.

"Emily's missing," Derek said as Dave tried phoning his wife again.

Toby frowned. "Not good. Firstein's right behind me; he'll know what to do."

When Firstein arrived, he frowned at the news he was given. "This isn't good, but it's also not impossible. They closed down the majority of the exits due to the secrecy of this case and only selected personnel were allowed in today. There are camera's on all the exits, so if she's left with someone, we're going to know who it is she was with and if she hasn't left, then it's an easy matter to cover all the exits and find her if the cameras haven't caught where she's at. Come with me."

He moved quickly down the hall, leading them to the security office, where a helpful guard scrolled back through the timestamps on the computerised system until he reached the one in question.

"Right, there she is going into the bathroom. No cameras in the bathrooms for privacy reasons." Firstein frowned and pulled out one of his folders as an older man looked around briefly before stepping through the door and out of sight. He flicked through the images captured on paper and shook his head slightly. "I need to see his face."

"Look, he's coming..."

"Shit," Aaron said with real feeling as the guy shot a look at the camera just as the image was frozen.

"What is it?" Dave demanded anxiously.

"The man who fathered Tammy, who took Caitlyn, Jack and I; his name was Troy. I can tell you for fact that Emily blasted his head into a bloody pulp, so there's no way that's him. But Troy is his spitting image."

Everyone looked at him in horror. "Are you saying that Troy's father has my wife? The woman who murdered his son to protect my daughters and your family?"

"That's my guess," Aaron whispered hoarsely.

A stunned silence fell over the group as Greg pulled out an image and turned it over. He frowned before pulling out a phone and walking away from the group as the security guard started working to trace where the man had taken Emily.

"She's walking really calmly with him," Derek murmured. "Why would she do that?"

"He probably threatened her family," Aaron stated softly. "I know if he'd threatened Caitlyn or the boys and had some proof that he could make good on his threat, I would have gone with him. Troy scared the shit out of me; I can't imagine how much worse the father probably is now that his son is dead."

Greg came back, a string of swear words falling from his lips. "Tyrone Matthews murdered his guards and just walked out of the prison like he owned it. They think it may have been an inside job. I asked why we weren't immediately informed and they said someone tried calling through and was unsuccessful. I highly doubt that, but the investigation can wait until later. Do we know where they are yet?"

"Somewhere down in records; he's cut the camera feed off so I can't see what's going on."

"Could he get out that way?"

"Not at the moment. The exit was damaged recently and has been sealed shut pending repairs. There's no way to open that door from the inside. It's been a real nightmare for the safety officers involved."

"Good luck; bring superwoman back safe and sound," Penelope called as the team ran out following the security guard.

Dave ignored the persistent voice in his head telling him he'd never see his wife alive again. She'd been reluctant to talk about the fullness of her experiences in the hands of the men who'd kidnapped them initially, and even more reluctant to discuss what had happened to her while Troy had her and Katie. But he'd persisted in needing to know and what she'd told him had been enough to make him violently ill for almost a day once she was done. But it had also ramped up his respect and admiration for her strength and courage in the face of adversity.

Praying that she would be alive enough to get to display still more courage after being kidnapped for a third time, he burst into the records room behind the guard...and gagged at what he saw.

**End-**

**A/N: Evil I am, I know, but I'm trying to wrap this story up, so I should hopefully have another chapter out to you all shortly. **

**Thank you for still being with me and if you still like this, please let me know by using the conveniently located review button right below this request.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back quicker than ever, probably cause I've now decided to wrap it up and its suddenly just flowing for me. Though to be honest, I was going to have this out last weekend, but I got really sick so it just didn't happen. Sorry everyone. But it is still fast right?**

**And just so you know, Emily is my favourite and I've finally figured out that the reason I keep picking on her has to do with then bringing it around to a happy ending and showing how amazing she really is by surviving everything I throw at her. Just saying, you know.**

**YAY for reviews! I know I don't deserve them considering how long I've made everyone wait on this piece since I started it, but there they are anyway and I'm so grateful. Thanks to greengirl82 (she really is), HGRHfan35 (ch 1 & 7...I love Emily, so definitely figuratively) and melodic2686 (the only reason for the Dave/Emily storyline is I started this before I started NPH and I first envisioned someone else for Hotch).**

**WARNING: This chapter includes adult themes and mild coarse language that may be unsuitable for younger readers.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 8

Dave listened to the steady beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor and sent up yet another prayer of thanks that Emily, the woman he loved so much he ached with it, was going to be alright.

He'd hated being absent while he gave his testimony that day, but he'd had no choice in the matter. He was lucky that Penelope had stayed here for him. As she'd firmly stated, she wasn't going back to that courthouse unless she absolutely had to.

The distant hum of the air-conditioning made him conscious of the chill in the air, so he leaned forward and tucked the blanket in closer to Emily's side, careful not to knock her bandaged hand. As it was, staring at the pure white that contrasted to her gorgeously tanned skin threw him back in time a couple of days to that horrifying moment when he entered the records room and saw her with _him_.

3 days ago

Despite clearly feeling his heart stop beating as the scene in front of him registered on his retinas, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and pride as _his wife_ staggered back from the man falling to the floor in front of him. She was still upright and he, by the looks of things, was _very_ dead.

Then she turned.

He felt like he was going to faint, throw up and die all in the same second, watching her take a shaky step towards him. He holstered his gun, trusting that the people at his back would cover him adequately as he rushed to catch her before she too fell. He only just made it in time to keep her upright.

"Dave. I kept my promise."

"I know bella, but I need another one from you now."

"I'm so tired."

"I know that too, but I need you to promise to fight back to us. I refuse to take up single parentage now at my age. So you need to hold on to life and stay with me. Promise me this. _Promise me._"

She closed her eyes, but fought them open to nod. "I promise," she whispered after licking her dry lips.

He nodded once as he eased her down to the ground. Cataloguing her injuries was torturous, but she'd promised him that if she ever found herself in this position again she wouldn't just give up like she had the last time Troy had found her. To him it was clearly like father, like son; and he hated it.

Tyrone had obviously stripped her down before he started torturing her, for her clothing was all of a piece off to the side. She had cuts and bruises all over her body, a clear sign that he'd alternated cutting her with the knife and hitting her with his fists. He could almost deal with the smaller cuts; it was the big one that concerned him the most.

He'd slit her open low on her abdomen, so that her intestines were bulging out, but he thankfully hadn't perforated them; the only thing he could smell was her blood. It looked like he'd started the slice across the top of her chest but had perhaps been distracted by something; enough so that she'd been able to wrestle control of the knife from him. He was impressed as he noted she'd pushed the knife in hilt-deep where she'd plunged it into his right eye. Considering how weak she would have been with her blood loss and the beating she'd already taken, it just went towards proving how truly strong she was when the chips were down.

Aaron dropped down beside him with several jackets in hand. One immediately went to covering the gaping wound in her lower abdomen and groin area. Another came up to cover her torso and still another was rolled up and eased under her head.

"Paramedics are just being cleared into the building. It won't be long."

He nodded, his eyes not leaving hers as she clearly grew weaker in front of his eyes.

"Remember your promise bella. Remember."

New Section

He shook himself out of the funk he'd fallen into thinking about those awful moments and reminded himself that she'd kept her promise. Though she'd only just made it through surgery due to her blood loss, she'd pulled through. The temperature that had threatened for the last few days had broken that morning and she'd woken up for a minute that morning while he was off getting coffee. He'd be having words with her about her timing later.

He checked his watch and sighed. He was so tired that all he wanted to do was bed down for a week straight, but he couldn't. Even a nap was out of reach at that moment. Watching over her was far more important.

Leaning forward, he gently stroked her hair back from one of the many butterfly bandages on her body and rested his chin on her pillow beside her ear.

"I need to go to the courthouse again to give the rest of my testimony, but I promise I'll be back before you even realise I'm gone. I love you, so much, and I'm so proud of you."

His only reply was silence, and the distant hiss of a door sliding open across the hall. He pressed a kiss to her temple and slipped from the room with a great deal of reluctance, coming face to face with his best friend.

"Hey Dave. How's she doing?"

"Better today. She woke up briefly this morning and is resting peacefully now. Are you staying with her while I go to the court house?"

Aaron nodded. "I am. The two of you are it and then the judge gets to hear the other side of the story. So he'll interview you today, hear the others when he's done with you and as soon as Emily's able to give her testimony, he'll grab that too and then the decision will be in his hands and we'll just have to wait."

He nodded slowly and dropped his head back against the wall. "Have you ever been involved in cases like this?"

"I have, and I can tell you that there is no set time it takes for the judge to come back. The shortest I waited was the length of lunch, but that case was cut and dried. The longest was a week and from that I can tell you it was one of the longest weeks of my life."

"Did your client win?"

"No, and I didn't want him to. It was one of those cases I got ordered to take that even now to think of it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth."

He pushed off the wall. "I know you don't like to do it, but if she wakes, can you tell Em that I love her and I'll be back as soon as I can manage it?"

He sighed, a dry smile tugging his lips up reluctantly. "Only for you Dave, only for you."

Dave clapped him on the shoulder and walked off and Aaron shook his head slightly and slipped into the room to find Emily was watching for him.

He grinned. "Sneaky little minx; you waited for him to leave."

"Yes," she whispered. "He'd have worried even more leaving knowing I was awake."

"He won't thank you if he finds out later."

"So we don't let him find out. How's it going?"

"We're getting there. Dave's up next, then you whenever you're well enough and the judge can get past your husband. He'll probably see testimony from the other side before he sees you. Then we wait."

"I'm pretty certain we're all sick of waiting."

"I know I am. But there isn't much we can do about it. What happened to you will work in our favour and..."

"That's not comforting."

"Sorry," he said contritely. "I didn't mean that to come out the way it sounded. I just meant that what you give the judge will probably weigh the heaviest of everything he hears about the case because the physical reality of it will shout the loudest."

"I figured that was what you meant. I hope you brought something with you to do; I'm just about out of energy."

"I wasn't expecting you to be awake at all, so don't sweat it."

She nodded as her eyes slipped shut and he smiled slightly as he settled more comfortably into the guest chair and pulled out the paperback he'd purchased at the newsagency downstairs.

New Section

Emily had been completely on edge stepping back into the court house a week after she was rushed out of it. But the entire team had rallied around her and stuck close the entire time she was there. And the one time she'd needed to use the bathroom and had nearly panicked at the knowledge, JJ had pulled her gun and she and Penelope had walked in with her, while Dave, Aaron, Derek and Reid had stood in front of the doors and stopped everyone from entering until they were done. So somehow she'd survived, and now they waited.

Looking at the clock, she groaned softly. There was no way she was going to be able to stay up another hour in order to talk to the girls on the encrypted line Penelope was setting up. Maybe if she closed her eyes and took a nap she'd have some energy to sound alive for the children when the time came...

Dave stopped beside Reid and smiled slightly. "Thanks for sending Derek to tell me."

"No worries. I figured she was trying to stay up for the call that didn't happen and didn't make it. She looks comfy, but I'm sure she'll sleep better in a bed."

"That's for sure. She doesn't like to complain, but I know she's still in a lot of pain from the beating she took."

Reid nodded agreement and stepped out of the way as Dave gently lifted his wife into his arms and walked carefully from the room with her. Reid dropped down onto the now vacated couch and closed his eyes. He'd been looking forward to hearing Austin's voice more than anything, and perhaps having Gideon call him 'Daddy' while saying goodnight. But the device Penelope had with her that would have safely encrypted the call in case anyone was trying to listen in had failed to successfully put the call through.

He checked the clock and pushed to his feet with a groan. It had been the longest week, with all testimonies given to the judge's satisfaction. Now they played the waiting game.

He _hated_ the waiting game.

New Section

"I made an important decision recently and I'm kind of hoping that I won't need to explain it and you'll just understand immediately where I'm coming from."

Dave raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he gently stroked Emily's hair. She was draped half on him and half on the bed, and though they had both mentioned breakfast in the last half hour, neither had made a move. It had been three days since the judge had gone to deliberate on the facts of the case; three days in which they'd all done their very best to let the worry go and just relax.

This was, of course, easier said than done. But they were trying.

"Dave?"

"I'm listening bella."

Her fingers traced patterns on his bare chest, distracting him with thoughts of returning the favour; after all, he just had to get her sleep top off; but then her hand stilled and she spoke, and his world narrowed down to the sound of her voice and what she was saying.

"I want out of the FBI, particularly after the last beating I took. All I could think about was you coming to my rescue, and the fact that if you didn't find me in time and I couldn't fight him long enough and hard enough to win, that I wouldn't get to be around to see my kids grow up and spend the rest of my life with you. And I don't want that. I want to stay at home and be front and centre for the kids and their milestones. I want to be there every time you come home to me from a case. I don't want to spend the rest of my life regretting what I missed when I come back from a case and realise something special has happened with one of the kids and I wasn't there to be a part of it."

His hand had stilled at her first words, but as he started assimilating the depth of meaning behind her words, he realised that it had only been a matter of time before she came to this point. The hints had been there, especially over the last month, so he was relieved to find that he knew what needed to be said.

"Are you sure this is what you want bella?" She nodded and he did the same before placing a light kiss on the top of her head. "Then I suppose all that's left for us to do here is tell Hotch."

He could feel her smile as she pressed a light kiss to his shoulder. "Thank you."

He tugged gently on her hair. "I wasn't sure whether you would say something before the end of this case, but I knew you _would_ say something. Everyone else is all excited at the prospect of going back to work and yet there you are, getting quieter the more the topic is mentioned."

"You never had any trouble reading me."

He laughed, a deep rumble through his chest that shook them both. "Are you kidding me? I got so lucky in those few months with all the guesses I was making around you that I seriously should have taken up gambling while my luck held. I could have been a billionaire or something."

She smacked him even as she laughed and he smiled as he tugged gently at her body until she slid up over him. He captured her laugh as he kissed her and she immediately melted against him.

He slid his hands up her thighs and cupped her ass, massaging it until she spread her legs and straddled his groin. He then slid his hands under her top, urging her back enough to pull it off just as there was a brief knock at the door followed by it opening up almost immediately.

"Whoops, sorry to interrupt."

"If the house isn't burning down, go away," he growled at his boss and friend.

Aaron grinned. "Sure thing. I mean, if you both want to miss the judge's verdict, I'll leave you to it."

"We're coming," Emily said, shifting quickly off her husband and heading for the wardrobe.

"This had better be in our favour," Dave growled grumpily as Aaron disappeared from the doorway with a laugh.

New Section

"I don't believe it. I _can't_ believe it."

"Just like that? I mean, shouldn't there be more of a fanfare or something?"

"Can they legally do something like this? It feels wrong."

They all just stared at each other as they wondered what exactly they were meant to do now.

**End-**

**A/N: Duh, duh, duh.**

**Okay, first off; sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I thought about continuing it, but I wanted one last cliffie before I bring to you the very last chapter of this story. The next chapter will be more along the length that is normal for this piece. Second, the last chapter won't be far off, so stay tuned to this channel to find out what exactly happened when they went to get the judges verdict.**

**Thank you for still being with me and if you still like this, please let me know by using the conveniently located review button right below this request.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last chapter of my first ever Criminal Minds story...it's so sad. Does anybody have a tissue?**

**But as they say, all things must come to an end. And this is ending, here and now.**

**So I really want to take the time to thank everyone who has either alerted to this story in any way; just knowing that you were out there reading this story made it worth writing, so thank you for letting me know you were there in that way.**

**But I am extra-specially grateful to anyone who dropped me a review, especially in those early days when I was really uncertain about writing something so grounded in real life after writing fantasy fiction for so long. But there you all were reviewing, letting me know that I was doing alright and had a good concept. So I continued. And then I dropped off the radar with this piece for a year before coming back to it and I was stunned to find that you were still there reading it after all that time. Then it was months of a gap and now it is days as I wrap it up.**

**And since I couldn't have done it without support and encouragement, here now is the last thanks for reviews for this story. So HUMONGOUS thanks go out to Wtiger5 (totally twisted, I know), melodic2686 (always kick*, is Em), HGRHfan35 (time to ease you off the edge), greengirl82 (yes, I AM a meanie) and lizzabet (Emily is definitely my fav too). Thank you all for making this wild ride worth it. Any reviews for this last chapter will be replied to personally by myself, so please feel free to drop me a line.**

**WARNING: This chapter includes adult themes.**

Life As We Know It – Chapter 9

New Section

"I don't believe it. I _can't_ believe it."

"Just like that? I mean, shouldn't there be more of a fanfare or something?"

"Can they legally do something like this? It feels wrong."

They all just stared at each other as they wondered what exactly they were meant to do now.

1 year later

Emily watched the riot of kids run screaming around her backyard and sighed as she checked her watch. Dave was late arriving with the other half of their group, despite calling from the airport an hour ago to say that they were leaving; the drive only took 45 minutes.

"They'll be here. And Katie isn't the slightest bit worried, so you shouldn't be either."

She shot Caitlyn a small smile. "It isn't Katie's job to be worried, its mine, and Dave is..."

"Here. Dave is right here," he said from behind her as he wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Sorry we weren't here fifteen minutes ago, the boy-genius was allowed to drive and took us straight into the middle of a traffic jam caused by road-works."

"I resent the fact that it was all my fault. You and Hotch were right there backseat driving and I didn't see Morgan taking the lead and sending us in another direction."

Caitlyn laughed as she hugged her husband hello and Emily rolled her eyes and turned slowly in Dave's arms. He resettled his hands securely at the small of her back and leaned in the extra distance for a tender kiss as his almost-due fourth child kicked vigorously between them.

"Mmm, you're forgiven," she murmured happily as he grinned at her.

"Nice to know," he said with laughter in his voice. He rubbed his nose gently against hers. "I'm going to go surprise the birthday girl."

Emily smiled and turned back to the window as Aaron hugged her lightly around the shoulders.

"All quiet on the home front ladies?"

Caitlyn snorted. "If you consider that unruly, rowdy bunch of kids to be quiet, sure."

"Haven't seen a reporter all week. I'm feeling positively let down that I'm no longer in the limelight," Austin added tongue-in-cheek. Of all of them, she had hated the publicity the most. They had been absolutely hounded when they returned to their lives; _everyone_ and the neighbour's cat had wanted to know the reasons behind their so-sudden disappearance years earlier and their just-as-sudden reappearance now. Being told that they weren't ever going to know what happened had _not_ gone down well with _anyone_, but they'd stuck to their story and slowly the furore had ebbed away to nothing.

Emily smiled happily as she watched Katie's entire face light up as she ran screaming into her fathers arms. She'd been saying all week that she didn't need birthday presents on this her seventh birthday, she just needed her daddy to come home. And though she'd put on a brave face this morning when she realised that she hadn't received what she'd really, truly wanted, Emily had seen her heartbreak and had ached for her. Katie, more than her younger sister, was truly her daddy's princess.

"All's well that ends well right?" Caitlyn asked as they exchanged delighted smiles as Dave spun Katie around and around. "Come on, we should get out there with the food now that everyone's home."

Nodding agreement, Emily followed Caitlyn first to the kitchen and then outside to join in the celebration of life taking place.

New Section

Hours later all the kids had been settled either in their rooms or in a guest room and the adults were sprawled around the Rossi's large living room. They were all silent thinking about the day, and about the complete turn-around the last year had left them reeling with.

**1 year earlier**

The shouts of a large bunch of children could be deafening they discovered as they tried to step through the front door of the Rossi/Lynch household. Emily and Dave got stuck in the doorway after nearly being bowled over by their brood, and because the adults couldn't get around them to get to their kids, the kids moved around the obstacle to get to their parents.

It took almost ten minutes to get everyone to move inside the house so that the front door could be closed and the most important question of all could be put forth.

"What's the verdict?" Carrie asked eagerly as she looked up at Derek happily.

He grinned and tweaked her nose. "We're free."

This sparked more screams and cheers and celebrations. Another hour passed before they got to sit down in the living room, and even the kids stayed to hear what had occurred.

"So the verdict was in our favour?" Austin asked eagerly as Reid cuddled her and Gideon as close to him as he could.

"Yes," Aaron said with a nod. He had Jack and Joshua on his lap and Caitlyn plastered against his side. "They managed to net everyone who had anything to do with the lab and the kidnapping, so there aren't any players left out there. Then with the evidence they'd collected, our testimonies, and what happened to Emily while we were there, it was apparently a fairly easy decision for the judge to make."

"Wait, back up; what happened to Emily?" Caitlyn demanded.

Dave related the story, being careful of what he said in light of the fearful looks Katie and Tammy shot their mother. Emily ended up holding them both tightly as she was asked if she was alright and again she allowed Dave to answer all the questions as she comforted her girls.

"I'm really glad you're okay," Austin said softly. "It would have been horrible to be so close to freedom only to have it snatched away in death at the last moment."

"The internal litany of the last week pretty much ran along those lines," Emily said dryly.

"So the judge didn't deliberate for long?" Carrie asked from where she was curled up on Derek's lap.

"It took him three days."

"But if it was such an easy decision to make..." Caitlyn let her question trail off as she frowned in confusion.

"The reason it took him so long had to do with compensation, and deciding how much what we'd been through was worth," JJ admitted honestly.

"Wait, compensation? None of you mentioned that."

"It was a shock to us also," Aaron admitted. "It isn't normal for compensation to be offered in cases like this when it isn't requested. That the judge brought it up meant that he was completely affected and changed by what he was presented with. Not a good thing when the judge is meant to remain unmoved and impartial, but the decision is final. Only the guilty verdict could be challenged, but even if it is, there's far too much evidence involved for it to change."

"So what kind of compensation are we talking about?"

For long moments no one spoke. They kept looking at each other in the hopes that someone else would reveal the answer, but the truth was that they were all still reeling from what the judge had announced; repeating it would make it real and therefore, unavoidable.

"Someone tell us before the suspense kills us. I mean, it's not that big of a deal right?" When the silence continued, Caitlyn exchanged worried looks with Carrie and Austin. "Aaron_,_ please."

He sighed softly. "The judge awarded each of us a large sum of money and a heavily laced warning."

"Why would we need to be warned about anything if everyone who wanted us dead was either dead themselves or in jail?" Austin asked quickly.

"The warning had nothing to do with outside sources meaning us harm and everything to do with us keeping our mouths closed when we returned to our lives."

"So essentially they don't want any of you talking about what you've been through," Carrie stated slowly.

"Essentially."

"So what are we meant to say when we return to our lives and our friends and families ask us where we've been for so long?" Carrie demanded anxiously.

"I suppose we simply say that we can't tell them. That the government has had us sign a confidentiality agreement that prohibits us from talking about what we've been through. The three of you will need to sign it, and possibly the older children who fully understand what is happening will too, but that will be for a judge to decide."

"What happens if we break the imposed silence?" Austin asked softly.

Aaron shrugged. "That's really hard to determine and will have a lot to do with the circumstances. The best thing we can do though is just stay silent."

"And the compensation you're all trying so hard not to talk about?" Carrie questioned firmly.

Aaron sighed in defeat and rubbed a hand over his face. "The judge decided that what we had been through was worth ten million dollars each." Carrie and Austin stared at him in shock. Caitlyn swivelled on the spot to see him better and nearly fell off the couch. Aaron continued as he steadied her, "And what I mean by each is _each of us_ has been awarded ten million dollars. You, Jack and Joshua in addition to me, because you were pregnant with Joshua when we were kidnapped and dumped into the middle of Emily's life; so we've been awarded a total of forty million dollars. So on and so forth."

"So are we being paid to keep silent? Or..." Carrie trailed off with a frown as Derek gently stroked her hair.

"No love, we aren't. The money is ours regardless of our silence."

"It's an acknowledgment that the actions of the government were at fault for the breakdown in procedures that should have regulated just about everything to do with this. Not just the procurement of the right supplies that allowed them to do their illegal experiments, but the purchase of animals for testing when there was no follow-up for what the animals were being purchased for and the knowledge that the people working in the lab simply dropped off the radar and _no one_ investigated what had happened to them. Added to that the spies within the very agencies that were tasked to keep us safe, and that kept failing at the task because they couldn't find their own leaks. It all combined to put us through what's happened to us, so in a way it forces an apology from them that will never be spoken."

"Money doesn't make _any_ of this right," Caitlyn said angrily.

"No it doesn't," Aaron agreed soothingly. "But it does ease the way for our return. It allows us to purchase our homes, furnish them, enrol the kids in schools, and it gives us time to settle back into our lives without having to rush back to work before we're ready. The money doesn't make any of this right, but it does make it easier in the aftermath."

"So what now?" Penelope asked. "I mean, we never really discussed any of it while we were in Virginia for the trial."

"We can leave here whenever we're ready, so I suppose it is up to us as individual family units to decide that for ourselves. I spoke with Strauss while we were over there and she says she is happy to allow us to re-establish ourselves within the FBI as a BAU, but we first need to go through rigorous psych-evals to make sure we're fit to return to duty. Or, you can choose to stay here if you like, if this is home for you now; you simply have the freedom to be yourselves and do whatever you want to do."

"I know what I want to do," Katie piped up sleepily from Emily's arms.

"What's that sweetheart," Dave asked as he lightly tapped her nose.

"I want to go on a vacation to somewhere far away with a beach."

Dave blinked and Emily smiled slightly as Tammy nodded happily and yawned hugely. Everyone laughed and agreed that it sounded like a good plan; one that could be slept on. They disbanded quickly to catch up on sleep, knowing that the future could wait another day.

New Section

**Present Day**

"The girls have informed me that as soon as the baby is born, it's time for our annual vacation."

"Really? Since when do we as a family have an annual vacation?" he teased gently. "Besides that, I'm not sure my boss will give me the time off; I haven't been back at work all that long."

Aaron smirked with his eyes closed while his fingers trailed through Caitlyn's hair. "In order to avoid disappointing your daughters, I think I can cut you some time off, though it won't be paid."

Dave waved that off and dropped his hand gently back to the top of the swell of Emily's abdomen. "You know money isn't a problem. Are you sure the powers that be won't be too pissy about this? I mean, I've only been back for six months."

Aaron shrugged. "I'll deal with it. Besides, I've still got three weeks til Rossi number four makes his or her entrance to the world and then I've got Emily's recovery time. I can swing it."

"Where do they want to go this time?"

"I talked them out of somewhere with a volcano," Emily said in an amused tone of voice. "Then I had to talk them out of wanting to go camping." Dave shuddered, and noticed that he wasn't the only one as just about everyone in the room flinched. "I explained that camping was how we ended up being hurt by the bad men and they agreed that they were _never_ going camping, _ever. _Then I asked them what they thought about glaciers and they got all excited when I explained what they were, so I thought we could do a cruise through Canada and Alaska."

"Sounds nice," he murmured.

Silence drifted in on the breeze as everyone settled their thoughts on how far they'd come. Since that incredibly ill-fated camping trip eight and a half years earlier, their lives had changed dramatically. They were all settled and happy. From nearly dying, their lives had been turned upside down, yet they'd come out the other side stronger than they ever had been before.

For Emily, her life had never been better. She'd never been that comfortable hiding her relationship with Dave from her 'family' as she thought of this group of people, so being openly married to the man was a dream come true. They had three gorgeous children and a fourth due to make an entrance any day now. Dave was happily back at work as a profiler and she was content staying home and looking after the home and the children.

Aaron had never been happier, though it had taken years to reconcile the guilt he felt over the knowledge that he'd never loved Haley as much as he did Caitlyn. But now it just didn't seem to matter. Caitlyn was happy and settled working again in the profession she loved so much, though her hours were far more scaled-back to encompass the needs of their growing family. Jack was settled back at school and was fully reconnected with the world he'd been ripped from, a young hero with a secretive, mysterious side. Joshua loved his day care centre and both boys were excited at the knowledge that they would soon have a little sister in the mix. And he had the best of all worlds; working at the job he loved, then coming home to the family he treasured.

JJ and Will had returned to their lives with a slightly different sense of purpose; their family came first no matter what. JJ now worked only part-time, allowing her to spend more of her time with Henry, Lucy and Mark. Will also worked part-time, though his work as a detective allowed him to stay local whereas JJ only went in to work when a case would take the team away and her particular skills as a media liaison were required. Their jobs ensured that at least one of them was home at all times for their children's security and peace of mind and for JJ, that was exactly what she needed for her own peace of mind.

Austin had always been a stay at home mother and that hadn't changed upon her arrival in Virginia with Reid and Gideon. In fact, when Reid went back to work, the only thing that had changed for them was the announcement that Gideon was gaining a little sister. Due in three months and loving her life, Austin knew she was thoroughly blessed in her family and in her life. Going from a dead-end job as a barmaid to the ultimate growth role as a mother, from having the crappiest family history ever to being married to the sweetest, most amazing and smartest, man ever and with the most gorgeous son, she knew that life could only get better in her world. And Reid knew a great thing when it hit him now and it was all thanks to the amazing woman who was _always_ by his side.

Derek had never dreamed that any woman could get him to _want_ to settle down, let alone actually get him to the altar. Yet here he was, with Carrie by his side and he couldn't imagine his life now without her in it. Add to that their incredible excitement over embarking on the scary proposition that parenting twins would give them when Carrie delivered sometime in the next few months and their lives were full to overflowing. He was back at work where he loved to be and when the day or the case was done, he went home to the arms that always _felt_ like home to him. And after years of loving her job as a nurse and midwife, and being there to help others, Carrie was excited to be taking a step back and tackling motherhood in all its glory.

And for Penelope and Kevin, life was wonderful. They had two gorgeous girls between them and the perfect jobs that allowed them to work from home a lot of the time, letting them be with their girls as much as they wanted. They also had the knowledge that though they weren't conventional crime fighters, their actions had been crucial to bringing them all out of their exile and into this exciting new chapter in _all_ their lives. For them, _being_ the heroes, just this once, wasn't such a bad thing after all.

And as everyone headed home that evening, they were all in their way giving thanks that out of the darkness that had been their lives, the future shone so much brighter than _any_ of them could _ever_ have imagined.

**End-**

**A/N: And that's it. It's done, finished, complete. Again, thank you soooooo much for sticking with me through this piece. I really am so grateful and appreciative of you all. **

**If you liked this, please let me know with a last sweet review by using the conveniently located review button right below this request.**


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